The Markieff Morris Experiment, Not Actually an Experiment?

As Markieff Morris made his Heat return about a week ago, the role he would play was fairly obvious. Around that time, Caleb Martin just went down which left a glaring hole at the back-up front-court positions, needing to be filled.

That said, the role many had in mind was regular season bench filler, somebody who can give some of the vets like PJ Tucker some games off, and ultimately eat up some minutes across this final stretch of the regular season.

And while it’s only been 3 games that we’ve seen him play since his return, the entire perception on him with this team has shifted completely. Well, for me at least.

Erik Spoelstra has shown all season that he has major flexibility and trust all the way down the roster, but almost all of the surprising lineup adjustments have been with the Heat’s guard depth. Plugging in Gabe Vincent or Max Strus into different spots, or even moving Caleb Martin down to the 4 in most situations.

When I asked Spo about that exact flexibility with Martin, he responded, “He’s the definition of a swiss army knife. You can plug him into a lot of different roles and with different lineups, and he’ll find a way to make it work.”

“He can defend so many different positions,” he continued. “We’ve missed that, his presence on the ball. And then those plays inbetween. Those are winning plays that don’t necessarily show up anywhere, but they’re the hustle plays, the deflections, the extra possessions, the tip-outs, the cuts. All of those different things contribute to winning in a big time way, and it’s great to have him back.”

A lot of the Caleb Martin and Markieff Morris talk all season has been an either/or thing, which has heavily leaned toward Martin with his constant production all season. Yet after getting a long look at the rotation on Friday night against the Thunder, it may be an “and” instead of “or.”

Dewayne Dedmon sitting had a lot to do with him needing some rest in a big way, but that was also Spoelstra getting a look at something that wasn’t a one time thing. You can experiment against a team like the Thunder, and I don’t believe it’ll be an experiment for long.

When looking across the Eastern Conference, there are many match-ups where you can survive with Morris as your back-up big. It gives this team a different dynamic, or better yet a consistent dynamic, since the drop-off between the starting center, Bam Adebayo, and back-up big, Markieff Morris, won’t be too major in terms of offensive operation.

They can continue to switch on the defensive end, and as Spo has mentioned frequently, he can be used in a “Bam-like role.”

But more importantly, Morris is just himself every day of the week.

Consistency in shot making is one of the most closely watched things in the sport of basketball. A game finishes, you may glance at the points scored first, but the next thing your eye lands on is the field goal percentage.

Yet, consistency in shot selection may be more important than consistency in shot making, specifically when talking about role players.

Looking at the clips above, this is where every bucket of Morris against OKC came from essentially. He gives this team a mid-range element that they don’t really have among their big men, except for Adebayo.

PJ Tucker, Caleb Martin, and Dewayne Dedmon all have their biggest strengths, but among those things isn’t a mid-post presence or even a mid-range jumper. Hence, the comparison to Bam’s role comes into play.

I asked Morris about that connection between their games, which he said, “Bam, his offensive game is evolving. I always tell him he’s trying to steal my game from back in the day…I just try to takeover the role, and just try to do the exact same thing. Be aggressive when I have smalls, make plays in the pocket, and just make the game easier for my teammates.”

The final thing he mentioned about being aggressive against smalls is something that Morris has mastered completely, and that’ll be the next torch passing in terms of Bam’s game.

He sees so many reps on that mid-post insertion, which usually is the initial feed before Miami runs their post split, but the main part to mention is what comes after the passing lanes are blocked.

When all of the cutters are blanketed, that’s an immediate signal to Morris to work his defender as low as possible, before turning right into that mid-range fade. That’s his shot, that’s his spot, that’s his game. And the clips above clearly put a stamp on that.

As seen to start this possession, it’s an example of the defense eliminating all options within the post split. On queue, Morris gets into good position, turns, pump-fakes, then lets the shot go. Yes, this one clanked off the rim, but it’s more about the process of good looking possessions and reads.

Now, the Heat ended up getting the rebound, which leads right into my next point.

After the miss, Morris slowly fades all the way out to that corner three for maximum spacing purposes. Tucker flows to his right for a potential DHO, but fakes it instead due to the overplay. As he drives to the basket, why is he able to finish like that at the rim?

Morris’ spacing doesn’t allow his defender to pull down for the tag. Clearly, there’s something with these small ball lineups, and more specifically, the Tucker-Morris combo.

I asked Spo how he feels about this front-court pairing moving forward, which he said, “I’m interested in it, for sure.”

“It felt like there’s space, there’s toughness,” he continued. “The skill-set that Markieff brings really fits this group, and it’s not like we’re reinventing who he’s been, this has been who he’s been his entire career…It’s something we’ve talked about a lot as a staff, and I’m glad that we were pushed into that immediately in the third quarter. There were a lot of positives with that unit.”

When listing those positives specifically, Morris and Tucker being effective together isn’t as much about them being successful themselves. It’s about what it creates for others.

And among those “others,” nobody benefits more from that offensive spacing than Tyler Herro. His driving lanes open up, guard screening becomes more effective which leaves Max Strus slip screens as a key offensive element, and defenses have to make decisions on those corner shooters.

Speaking of those decisions, much of it comes down to the readiness of Tucker and Morris to immediately pull before the close-out comes flying at them quickly. This play above was the finish of an end of quarter Spoelstra tweak, where Herro and Lowry operated from each wing with at least 3 drives, kicks, and resets.

The final one included Lowry sinking that strong-side down a bit, ending with that corner three that we just spoke about.

These examples may be the Thunder and Pistons, but every defense will be asked to make these same decisions. And most teams are going to primarily eliminate that middle of the lane guard dissection from Herro and Lowry, ultimately opening up Morris and Tucker as scorers.

Morris at the five clearly downgrades some size in terms of rebounding, but it allows them to continue that physical switching on the perimeter.

When running a double drag above, no mismatches are able to be drawn, since the size and perimeter off-ball quickness from this switchy front-court roster leaves no advantages. Ended in a Jerami Grant contested pull-up, but much of that has to do with the fact that teams don’t view Morris down low as a mismatch.

His size on paper may say differently, but going at Morris on the block is definitely an offensive choice.

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You can probably make the case for about 12 guys on this team to crack the playoff rotation, but the fact of the matter is that it isn’t realistic. But it isn’t crazy to say that all 12 of those guys will probably crack the 9 man rotation at different times.

Dedmon will still be a major part of this team since his back-up big minutes aren’t going anywhere, but when the playoff rotation shrinks even more, and they match up with a team like Chicago or Boston in that second round, I’m pretty comfortable saying that Morris will be the back-up 5.

This week stretch has felt like a lot of tinkering from Spo by placing Morris in different spots, but this is much bigger than an experiment or a Dedmon off day. This is a preview of what will be seen down the line.

And with that different dynamic that Morris provides, specifically offensively, he could make the difference in those 8-10 minutes that Adebayo sits in the post-season.

“We like to hit the pocket pass to be able to have a big to make plays. I fit that spot perfect,” Morris said earlier in the week when I asked him about his mid-range comfort and offensive role. And I would have to agree.

He does fit that spot perfectly, which is exactly why Spo will continue to test the waters with different combos.

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