The conjecture continues on the draft stock of Marcus and Markieff Morris, the twin brothers from Kansas heading to the NBA in the upcoming 2011 NBA Draft. Yesterday, we took a look at their positions on Doug Gottlieb’s Big Board where the boys ranged in the second half. Today, ESPN’s Chad Ford has their draft stock much higher.
He predicts Marcus to go in the 5-15 range in the draft, while Markieff is listed in the 9-19 segment. Both brothers are talented forward, but their games differ despite people often linking them together or comparing them to one another. That’s the major difference that Ford notes after praising both prospects’ abilities to shoot the 3-pointer at the NBA level.
Other than shooting ability, there are a number of differences. I thought Marcus had quicker feet and was more explosive off the bounce than I saw at Kansas. He showed off a pretty impressive arsenal of skills for a 6-foot-9, 235-pound forward. He’s clearly the more skilled and aggressive of the two players.
Markieff, however, has size and toughness on his side. Although he’s not quite as quick or as skilled, he’s at least an inch taller, has more weight on his body, and takes a more cerebral approach to the game.
While it’s easy to compare them on the surface, NBA scouts aren’t so reductionistic that they can’t see past the twins. The same thing could have been said of the Lopez brothers coming out of Stanford a couple years ago, but it’s more for a media gimmick than anything. Both players stand out for their own individual skills, and it’s nice to see someone like Ford spending time on it.