Stalwart forward set to lead from the bench again
Veteran power forward Markieff Morris returns to the Dallas Mavericks for his 14th NBA season as one of the team’s key members, though his impact will likely go unnoticed in the box score. Morris’ contributions to the team, while significant, are difficult to quantify. He rarely plays meaningful minutes, logging 53 DNPs in the 2023-24 regular season and only one playoff appearance, playing 12 minutes in the Mavericks 38-point blowout of Boston in Game 3 of the Finals.
His skill set is duplicated elsewhere on the roster, as the Mavericks already boast a depth chart with plenty of size and 3-point shot making, and players who combine both those qualities like center Maxi Kleber and forward P.J. Washington. At age 35, he’s the only player on the team that was born in the 1980s. Morris’ value to the Mavericks comes from his leadership on the bench and in the locker room, and that value was recognized this offseason with a one-year, $3.3 million contract.
Since arriving from the Nets in a trade that led to questions of whether the Mavericks had disrupted their team chemistry by sending Dorian Finney-Smith and Spencer Dinwiddie away in exchange for Kyrie Irving, Morris answered those questions by stepping ably into the role of leader and mentor. Reflecting on a season that culminated in the Western Conference championship, head coach Jason Kidd and guards Luka Doncic and Irving all expressed appreciation for Morris keeping the team’s demeanor on track while Dallas found its way, starting the season 26-23 before finishing the regular season on a 24-9 run. Morris’ words seemed especially to have a steadying influence on Luka, keeping the superstar focused through situations that had derailed his concentration as a younger player, like frustration with officiating or overly physical opponents. As one of two Maverick players with championship experience (Irving is the other), Morris brings a long career of lessons learned to a team looking to make its own mark.
Best Case Scenario
Morris’ ceiling is a role similar to the one he played last year for the team, which is not too different from the role he played on the Lakers’ title team in the Bubble in 2020. Last season his blend of challenging and encouraging his teammates was instrumental to the Mavericks’ success, and at this stage of his career continuing that balance should be a lot more important to the club than anything he does between the lines.
That said, even in limited playing time his game presents a challenging matchup for opponents. While time has robbed Morris of some of his athleticism and effectiveness as an individual defender, he remains an excellent shooter from long range. Unusually for a power forward, he takes and makes more threes than twos, going 16/45 from outside the arc in 2023-24 and 8/28 from inside it. He is especially accurate from the corners, where he has shot 41% over the last two seasons; and the top of the key, where he has shot 40% in that span.
Worst Case Scenario
If Morris is pressed into a load-bearing role on the court this season, it will likely mean that things for the 2024-25 Dallas Mavericks have very much not gone according to plan. Several players ahead of Morris, including Daniel Gafford, Dereck Lively, Kleber, and fellow vibes veteran Dwight Powell, would have to be unavailable for him to see important minutes in many games. The bulk of Morris’ playing time last season came before the team’s February 8 trade for Gafford bolstered the team’s depth at the big man positions, and Kidd’s wealth of options at the 4 and 5 spots mean Morris should not need to play much on a team expected to contend for a title.
Big Question
Not sure that there is a big question for Morris himself, who brings reliability to a role that doesn’t ask much of him on the court. Can he keep canning spot-up threes while playing single-digit minutes in approximately one-third of the Mavericks’ games? Yeah, probably. It’s also difficult to imagine a scenario in which Morris loses his influence in the locker room. If there is a question raised by Morris’ return, it concerns Dallas’ other player signed to a non-guaranteed deal, forward A.J. Lawson, who is expected to compete with Morris for the team’s 15th and final roster spot. The Mavericks, in win-now mode, seem unlikely to retain Lawson if they have to choose between him and Morris and could risk seeing the time and energy spent developing him pay off elsewhere.
Season Goal
Morris’ credibility as a veteran leader stems from his experience (spanning seven teams and roles ranging from lottery pick to role player), and his ability to contribute on occasions when he is called on. He can be expected to clock most of his minutes in lopsided games, as his last 10 regular season appearances of 2023-24 came in games that were decided by an average of 25.5 points. In those situations, he can be trusted to protect a lead in a blowout victory, and to protect Gafford, Lively, and the Mavericks’ other bigs from risking injury in a blowout loss.