With Tom Ziller’s latest version of his 2011 NBA Mock Draft column, the Kansas Jayhawks find themselves well-represented throughout the middle portion of the first round as Marcus Morris, Markieff Morris and Josh Selby all go from No. 11 to 17. Marcus Morris heads to Golden State, while his twin brother, Markieff, lands with the Indiana Pacers at No. 15. Selby lands at a familiar spot in many mock drafts — with the New York Knicks at No. 17.
It’s an interesting position for Marcus Morris, given the comparisons to Al Harrington made by several sportswriters or draft sites. At 6-8 or 6-9 and 230 lbs., nearly everyone believes he’s NBA ready and should provide a good scorer at the forward position as someone who can both sink a shot from outside or post up. That’s a profile that should be familiar to the Warriors who played parts of three seasons for the Warriors.
The Warriors already have some impressive size and toughness underneath with Al Thornton, Ekpe Udoh and David Lee. While Dorell Wright has obvious scoring ability on the wing at small forward, adding a player like Morris would make the Warriors even more versatile and dangerous down low and could open up the post if he’s used correctly.
The Warriors are an oft-forgotten franchise who are never the league’s worst but fail to put together their talent enough to compete for a playoff spot. But it’s really a matter of maturation as some of the younger core continue to compete together and the Warriors add non-project pieces alongside them. Udoh might take a bit in the middle to develop, but Morris would come in from day one and provide a strong asset.