ESPN’s Chad Ford says Marcus Morris NBA draft stock is rising at the right time with scouts and general managers taking notice of his tremendous all-around game. The second-team All-American averaged over 17 points and 7 rebounds last year, leading a talented Kansas Jayhawks squad to a No. 1 ranking much of the season. Ford writes about his draft stock:
A number of GMs I spoke with had Morris in the lottery. “Morris may not blow you away in any one area, but the more we’ve been breaking him down on Synergy, the more we feel like he’s got a real shot to be very good in our league,” one GM said. “I don’t know how he slips out of the lottery.” We had him at No. 18 on our Board. We’ve moved him up to 13 in our latest rankings.
It’s difficult to believe that Morris’ draft stock was ever that low in the first place, but it’s important to realize how much potential is analyzed and adored at this point in the draft season. Many GMs would rather take the project from Europe over the sure thing graduating from college in the hopes of striking gold. But other mock drafts have been picking up on Morris’ lottery chances as well, so it’s a safe assumption at this point that some team in the Top 13 will choose him.