Monte Morris will be given the opportunity for a bigger role than he has ever had in his NBA career. He has earned it and seems to have found the ideal spot for the increased role.
His new teammates on the Washington Wizards are embracing his opportunity alongside him, it seems. Not just that, it seems those around him not only support him but most importantly, believe in what he can do in this new increased role as a starting point guard.
Last year’s best new addition to the team, forward Kyle Kuzma, went well out of his way to hype up what Monte Morris can be for this team. In a tweet he wasn’t mentioned in, Kuz decided to quote it and praise what Morris can do for this team.
Monte Morris!!!! https://t.co/TLlthPy86y
— kuz (@kylekuzma) August 15, 2022
As many already know, Kuzma has been an impressive leader on this team in his short time in Washington. That trend appears to be continuing, or at least he is doing his best to make it continue.
Not only has he recently played in Pro-Am action with new guard addition Delon Wright, he also is going out of his way to boost the confidence of the other point guard addition, Monte Morris. Given the locker room issues that plagued this team one season ago, at the very least it is nice to see guys going above and beyond to have positive relationships.
Will Monte Morris Emerge as a Difference Maker for Wizards?
It’s easy to see why a lot of people have Morris taking a step forward this season. His play has been more than good enough to warrant more minutes and a larger role, and he is efficient and talented enough that his production should still remain good value at a minimum.
With more responsibility, he may emerge as a player he never could have grown into in Denver. Circumstances are very different, and the Wizards need to do their best to put him in a position to succeed.
While we can technically nitpick on the wording Kuzma used and the tweet he responded to, the simple takeaway is how highly he thinks of Morris as a player. No, Kuzma doesn’t really form a ‘Big 3’ alongside Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis.
If he is right about Morris being the player that can kind of bring all the pieces together in a successful way, the Wizards ceiling for the upcoming NBA season instantly becomes much higher. Monte Morris could be the exact player the Wizards have needed to bring in alongside Beal and Co. for a while.
Morris is a 39.4 percent three-point shooter in his career and has demonstrated an ability to score and distribute, while also taking care of the ball at the point guard spot. Just because he couldn’t fully display his potential impact in Denver, don’t rule out Kuz being right about him emerging as a key piece this year for the Wizards.