Monte Morris

Morris played in 47 games during his fourth season in the NBA. The 25-year-old averaged 10.2 points, 3.2 assists, 2.0 rebounds, 0.7 steals and 0.3 blocks in 25.4 minutes. The Iowa State product shot 48.1 percent from the field, 38.1 percent from three and 79.5 percent from the free-throw line. The six-foot-two guard scored 20-plus points five times, including a season-high 28 during a Game 5 win over the Trail Blazers in the first round of the playoffs. During the season-high performance, Morris went 7-for-18 from the field, 4-for-9 from three and 10-for-11 from the charity stripe. He also notched five assists, three rebounds and one steal in 41 minutes during the 147-140 win. The ex-Cyclone grabbed multiple boards 31 times, including a season-high seven against the Kings on Feb. 6. He also distributed multiple assists 52 times, including a season-high nine on two occasions. Defensively, the fourth-year veteran recorded multiple steals in 11 games and at least one block in 15 games. Per 36 minutes, Morris averaged 14.5 points, 4.5 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.0 steals.

Morris again served a valuable bench role for the Nuggets in the 2019-20 season, his second full year in the NBA (and third overall). He appeared in all 73 regular-season games during the pandemic-shortened campaign, starting 12 times and posting 9.0 points per game along with 3.5 assists, 1.9 rebounds and 0.8. The Iowa State product remained an effective shooter from all over, posting a 45.9 field-goal percentage alongside a 37.8 three-point percentage while making a career-best 84.3 percent of his free throws. He contributed double-digit scoring on 32 occasions, twice scoring a season-high 19. The first of those came Feb. 2 against Detroit, when Morris shot 8-of-15 while adding seven assists, seven rebounds and a steal. Months later, in the Orlando bubble, he shot 8-of-13 en route to another 19-point game with four assists, two boards and a steal. He picked up a season-high eight assists on three occasions. Morris retained the same role for the Nuggets' 19-game playoff run, starting four times but otherwise serving as a frequently used reserve. In the opening game of the first round against Utah, he scored 14 points off the bench, adding four assists, three rebounds, a steal and a block. Morris scored 14 off the bench again in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals against the Lakers. Overall, he averaged 9.1 points on 49.6 percent shooting along with 2.7 assists per game during the playoffs.

After playing in just three NBA games as a rookie, Morris turned many heads during his second year in the league. Serving primarily as Denver's backup point guard, the former second-round pick appeared in all 82 regular-season games and notched 24.0 minutes of playing time per contest. Morris contributed in multiple areas, posting per-game averages of 10.4 points, 3.6 assists and 2.4 rebounds. He was an efficient shooter by all measures, making 80.2 percent of his free throws, 49.3 percent of his field goal attempts and a team-leading 41.4 percent of his shots from behind the arc (minimum eight attempts). Morris also displayed elite ball-handling skills, ranking second in the NBA with a 5.7 assist-to-turnover ratio (minimum 10 assists). For good measure, the 6-foot-2 guard consistently played hard-nosed defense and averaged 1.3 steals per 36 minutes. Morris' skills were on full display over a torrid stretch in December during which he racked up nine straight double-digit scoring efforts, averaging 14.1 points, 4.6 assists and 1.8 steals while making 19-of-36 three-point attempts. He played a season-high 41 minutes in a starting role during a win over Minnesota on Feb. 2 and collected the first double-double of his NBA career, racking up 17 points and 10 assists along with seven boards. Though Morris' playing time dipped in the postseason, he chipped in 5.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 14 games. He was a key contributor during Denver's first-round playoff series victory over San Antonio, reaching double digits in scoring in four of seven games.

Morris was drafted by the Denver Nuggets in the second round of the 2017 NBA Draft. The 51st overall selection that year, Morris signed a two-way contract with the franchise. The Iowa State product appeared in three games for the Nuggets off the bench. Morris set career highs across the board in a game at the Houston Rockets on Feb. 9. Playing 22 minutes, Morris collected 10 points, two rebounds, six assists and three steals. Morris shot 4-for-5 from the floor and was a perfect 2-of-2 from the charity stripe in that contest.