The Conundrum of Arterio Morris
Kansas has gotten their second commitment from the transfer portal from former Texas guard Arterio Morris. A complicated situation, I've included some of my thoughts before getting into the analysis.
This won’t start off like a normal post. Due to the off-court issues surrounding Arterio Morris, I wanted to provide some additional commentary and my perspective. There will still be a look at the basketball side of things at the end of the newsletter
Just before midnight on November 2, 2016, a third-baseman named Kris Bryant picked up a slow rolling baseball and threw it to first-baseman Anthony Rizzo for the final out of Game 7 in a World Series between the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians (now Guardians). This play clinched the first World Series in 108 years for the Chicago Cubs organization. What followed was a week of parades, celebrations, and catharsis for all Cubs fans.
While I will forever cherish the memories and feelings that World Series win brought, there will always be a blemish on the historical moment. At the trade deadline in 2016, the Cubs traded for a closer named Aroldis Chapman. He ended up playing a major role in the Cubs run to the World Series win. However, Chapman had been suspended earlier that season due to a domestic violence incident. Bringing him in was the right move for on-field purposes, but the Cubs organization rightfully faced questions about their stance on domestic violence throughout the rest of the regular season, postseason, and off-season periods. In all honesty, the fact that he wasn’t the player on the mound for the final out helps me enjoy any replays that pop up just a little more than I would have if he was pitching. Cubs fans were still left to grapple with the fact the team overlooked a player’s off-field issues for a shot at winning. A year later, a young Cubs shortstop who also played a key role in the World Series win, Addison Russell, also faced accusations of domestic abuse from his spouse. For the second time in two years, Cubs fans had to recognize that a player that helped break a 108 year curse might be an awful person outside the confines of the sport. For myself and other Cubs fans that I know, it was tough to reconcile that your team would be the one willing to overlook something like this in order to win games.
That’s a long prelude to the big Kansas basketball news that broke on Friday: Arterio Morris has committed to Kansas. A talented basketball player, Morris was accused of domestic abuse by an ex-girlfriend in a series of Instagram posts early in the summer of 2022. Morris has a court date in June of this year which will determine what legal discipline he will face due to the allegations. This commitment is one of the most divisive and controversial moments of Bill Self’s coaching era at Kansas, and he will deservedly face questions about the decision to take Morris from the transfer portal. Some Kansas fans will point to the fact that everyone is innocent until they are proven guilty, the fact that Morris was a model teammate and student at Texas last season, and, even if guilt is proven, the idea that everyone deserves a second chance is intrinsic to our society. Others may have personal experience with abuse, a belief that a second chance can be given but prefer for it not to happen at Kansas, or a thought that Self and the Kansas staff are taking an unnecessary risky prospect just to boost their odds for another shot a championship. Both sides have opinions that are understandable and reasonable.
Personally, I would have preferred that Kansas look elsewhere to fill the hole at guard. While I think Morris is probably a difference-maker on the basketball court, it’s tough for me to overlook what happened off the court. Morris could deserve a second chance, but it doesn’t mean that second chance needs to happen at Kansas. Hopefully he has been working on himself through forms of classes or therapy, but the knowledge of what happened will be in the back of my head every time Kansas is playing next year. At some point, it’s likely Morris will play a large role in a big game or make a shot that wins a game for Kansas, and I’ll probably feel the same blemish I felt when the Cubs won the World Series. Not everyone will have that same feeling, and that’s fair. Understand that not every Kansas fan is going to feel the same way about this player and don’t argue about whether they should feel the same way you do. Personal situations and feelings will drive the discussion behind Morris, and everyone’s experiences will differ. Continue to root for and support the players, staff, and university that you feel deserve it. There’s a chance you could be watching a Kansas national championship team next year, and hopefully everyone is able to enjoy the experience despite the divisiveness of Morris.
On The Court
Kansas has their second commitment out of the transfer portal, and it’s hard to imagine a more perfect fit for next year’s team. Arterio Morris is a former five star recruit who spent one year at Texas before entering the transfer portal. After being recruited by Chris Beard, Morris came off the bench as the fourth guard behind the experienced players Tyrese Hunter, Marcus Carr, and Sir’Jabari Rice. In almost 12 minutes of game time, Morris averaged 4.6 points per game, 1.4 rebounds, and 0.5 assists. He shot 41.1 percent from the field included 33.3 percent from 3. He is an athletic guard who can create his own shot and also lock down defensively. In other words, he’s a perfect complement to Dajuan Harris Jr. and an important addition as a player who can create his own looks. While he played limited minutes, he understands the “no-middle” defense and rigors of playing for a Big 12 team, which should help in his transition to Kansas. While he didn’t shoot at an extremely high percentage, there are indications that his shooting ability from 3 should be a net positive moving forward. Playing with a guard who creates like Harris Jr. and another who will help stretch the floor in Nicolas Timberlake should help provide Morris with spacing to attack off the dribble as well as opportunities for open 3s this upcoming season. If Kansas adds another wing and/or Hunter Dickinson, Morris could be the team’s 3rd scoring option. In terms of talent, it is difficult for more than maybe five teams across the country to match the elite level that Kansas has a chance to build.
Shooting
Morris shoots extremely well at the rim and would probably be the best off-ball true guard since Malik Newman’s March Madness run. Morris’ ability to create off the dribble could provide much-needed consistency and a true secondary option at lead guard. This would allow Elmarko Jackson some additional time to acclimate to the college game without feeling the pressure of starting as a freshman or running the offense solo for a Self-coached team. Morris does shoot 3s at a high rate, giving Kansas two players willing to let it fly at any given time when paired with Timberlake. Along with the rumors that Harris has been working to speed up his release and potential additions from the portal, this Kansas team has a chance to have more shot zone balance than we saw last year.
Something that stood out to me on Morris’ shooting maps were the corner 3s. Last year, Joseph Yesufu, Bobby Pettiford, and Kevin McCullar were getting open looks in the offense, specifically in the corner. From the corners, those three shot 30/95 or 31.6 percent. These corner 3s accounted for almost 20 percent of their shot attempts, and the fact that Morris shot 50 percent (granted that was only on 10 attempts) does provide some hope that Kansas will be able to capitalize on some opportunities that they didn’t last season. If the corner 3’s are utilized but made at a higher rate by the supporting cast, the reliance on getting shots around the rim isn’t as crucial in the game-to-game success of the offense. There’s no doubt that Self will still work to get easy points in the paint, but at times last year the team struggled when teams sank defensively while face-guarding Dick. It’s looking like this team will have more offensive threats which could lead to less variance in the offensive performance.
Breaking Down the Tape
Looking at Morris’ tape from last year, it’s easy to see why the staff could be optimistic about his shooting ability. He has a smooth form and release that indicates a consistent shot. The one thing that he wasn’t asked to do much last year was shoot from behind the arc off the dribble. While not a huge issue for a team where Harris Jr. can create, we can probably expect to see most of Morris’ 3s come from a catch-and-shoot opportunity rather than him creating space to take them.
On the flip side of Morris not taking 3s off the dribble, there’s a logical reason why this isn’t his first look. Morris is an exceptional ball-handler who creates space as he moves downhill towards the basket. This leads to pull-up jumpers and chances at the rim. Unlike Timberlake, who finishes at the rim mostly in transition and with open opportunities, Morris finishes through contact and over bigger players on a consistent basis. Some of the things he is able to do while driving are things we haven’t seen since Devon Dotson or even Frank Mason. There are even some things he can do that might not have ever been done by a Kansas guard as you’ll see in the highlights below. This is where Morris could help elevate Kansas to the next level. Harris Jr. was the main creator for the offense last year and should retain that role this season. McCullar Jr. distributed well for a wing, but the opportunity to play Harris Jr. and Morris as two players with the vision someone expects for a point guard adds a dimension to the offense that was missing last year. Instead of relying on Jalen Wilson to get a shot at the end of the shot clock, Morris is a player who can create his own shot, hit a shot after Harris Jr. creates, and also has the vision to set up other players due to his ability off the dribble. It’s an exciting piece to add to next year’s group.
Morris’ athleticism is something Self has been targeting ever since USC demolished Kansas in the second round in 2021. Last year’s team was fairly athletic, but struggled against teams with elite athleticism (Texas, Arkansas, TCU). Morris can help in this regard, and there’s only play that needs to be shown to highlight this, but the video has a few.
Summary
There’s no question that Morris is the type of player that can and will help this team next year. He provides invaluable skills beside Harris Jr., depth at point guard, and an athleticism that can boost Kansas against teams that have been tough matchups over the last few seasons. Will he live up to his expectations? Only time will tell. Self has constantly pushed players to exceed what others thought were limitations, but we’ve also seen times where highly-rated recruits never reached another level under Self (Andrew Wiggins, Brannen Greene, Josh Jackson).1 This is a different situation than those three players, and I wouldn't bet against Self in this one. He's taking a significant gamble due to the surrounding environment, but recognizes Morris as a player who will help the team and had to love this quote from the commitment announcement:
“We’re going to be the best backcourt defensive group ever.” - Arterio Morris talking about playing with Harris Jr.
Morris appears to have the right mindset coming into a Kansas team that is still working on finalizing its roster for next season. A likely starter, he’ll have to be prepared for big minutes in big games from the second he steps on the floor. Based on how he performed last year in limited minutes, Kansas fans should be excited.
These were good players who never pushed their ceiling higher under Self: Wiggins didn’t take over games like everyone hoped, Greene didn’t develop an offensive game outside of shooting 3s, and Jackson was a bulldog defensively who was inconsistent offensively.