Old Fish, More Morris.

We’re cursed to another short season, yet being the basketball fanatic that I am I can’t help but feel ecstatic about the fact that there will be NBA action. Instead of whining about how the players gave up too much to the owners and talking about how they could have settled the labor dispute months earlier, I’m going to talk about Darius Morris.

Darius Morris lays it in against Duke's Nolan Smith

Who is Darius Morris? Darius Morris was born in Los Angeles, grew up idolizing Kobe Bryant, and is a 6’4 190lb Sophomore out of Michigan whom the Lakers drafted 41st overall last June. Before entering the NBA draft, Morris was running the point for the Michigan Wolverines last season, leading the team in scoring, assists (ranked 5 in the nation), and steals. He’s not the quickest guard and his three point shooting is poor (25% from college range), but what he brings to the Los Angeles Lakers is more important than just numbers.

Court vision, work ethic, and leadership are the intangibles Morris brings to the Lakers. He should start immediately, but oh no, heavens, they can’t bench Derek Fisher can they? If Mike Brown benched Fisher, fans might throw alcohol and foam fingers onto the court like they did when King James dominated them on Christmas. Before you exit out of the window or read another article hear me out, read the next paragraph and give me a chance to convince you that there is hope this year for the Lakers and to jump on the Darius Morris bandwagon.

Derek Fisher has undoubtedly played a major leadership role for the Lakers in past years and has also made big shots during playoff time. Heck, Derek Fisher was even mediocre at defense one point in his career, but he’s 50 years old now and the best thing Fisher has done recently was help solve the labor dispute and he was months late on that. It’s a fact that the Lakers have a tough time dealing with skilled point guards, Chris Paul made his own AND1 mixtape with the show he put on in the first round, J.J. Barea had his fair share of open layups, and don’t forget when the Cleveland (Crapland) Cavaliers beat the Lakers thanks to Ramon Sessions obliterating Fisher’s ankles. Morris is an excellent defender who will help with this issue immediately and brings youth to an older team. He can run the floor, ignite fastbreaks, and bring that electricity into Staples Center again (similar to what Trevor Ariza did). He has proven to be an excellent playmaker in college and playing with Kobe, Gasol, Odom, and Bynum should make the transition fairly easy. Morris just has to play defense, make smart decisions with the ball, and take smart shots which comes natural to him. His physique is even an advantage, he’s a larger point guard which means there’ll be less matchup problems.

Derek Fisher getting burned by Hornet's guard Chris Paul

Sadly, Mike Brown will most likely play Fisher and Blake, because he doesn’t want to make any risky decisions as Laker fans are known to be impatient and very demanding. But I have a feeling that when Morris gets his chance, he’ll show that Brown will have to start him over old Fisher. What better chance to demonstrate his skills then on national television on Christmas day against Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls? All we can do is wait and see, and you’ll see Laker Nation, Darius Morris is the answer to the Lakers point guard situation.

About Nathan Nguyen

I like sports and to write sometimes

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