The Phoenix Suns were hoping that Markieff Morris would shine apart from his twin brother, Marcus, for the first time in his basketball career. The former Kansas Jayhawk knew it would not be a likely scenario for the two to play together at the NBA level, at least when first entering the league, so both players would have to make their own mark. Now there's no doubt about it as Markieff has shown great all-around skills at the NBA level halfway through his first season.
David Thorpe has made Markieff his No. 10 overall rookie in his latest mid-season NBA Rookie Report. He writes:
Channing Frye is soaking up the minutes Morris needs to develop fully. But make no mistake, Morris has already proved to be a long-term NBA player thanks to his toughness and 3-point shooting. As I've written numerous times, Frye, coincidentally, is at worst the type of player Morris can become (but with more defensive upside). However, he has to improve his shooting inside the line if he wants to be a bigger impact player. Pr rather, he needs to earn more shots closer to the rim.
It's a similar problem to the one his twin brother has, as they are two guys who, because they can shoot with range, do so far more than they should. There are many players who can shoot, but there are far fewer who can score inside and out while also being good rebounders. Markieff just scored a career high in a blowout loss in Denver (21 points) while grabbing four steals and blocking two shots. He's capable of contributing all over the court every night.