Monte Morris provided 'poise and experience,' something Detroit Pistons desperately need
Nearly a year after he last played a basketball game, Monte Morris couldn’t wait to hear the net swish.
He checked in late in the first quarter and found himself wide-open during the Detroit Pistons’ first possession. Just 25 seconds into his season debut, the Flint native knocked down a 3-pointer.
“Last night, it was hard for me to sleep,” the veteran guard said afterward. “I was like, ‘how’s my first bucket going to be? Am I even going to get a bucket?’ I just read the defense. Came off, they kinda messed up the coverage. Just let it go. I trust my work.”
Wednesday was a long time coming for Morris, who finally made his debut for his home team, 44 games into the season, after rehabbing for several months. Injuries kept him off of the floor for 299 days — his last game was with the Washington Wizards on March 31.
He logged just 11 minutes, but Morris made the most of his time. He tallied seven points on 3-for-4 shooting, three assists and three rebounds. Most importantly, he helped the Pistons pick up their fifth win of the season, a 113-106 victory over the Charlotte Hornets at LCA. Despite his minutes restriction in his first game back, he was able to showcase the outside shooting and playmaking that led the Pistons to trade for him last offseason.
The Pistons expect Morris, a strong outside shooter who rarely turns over the ball, to be a floor-raiser for a young team that’s struggled with execution, especially late in games. Morris didn’t play in the fourth quarter, but Detroit closed the game with a 12-2 run in the final two minutes for their first home win since Dec. 30.
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“I feel good,” Morris said. “I was so hype on the bench. It was hard for me to be like that when I was in street clothes because I couldn’t go out there and fight with the guys. I was in a jersey, I didn’t want to sit down. I just wanted to cheer my guys on.
“It’s fun, it’s contagious when you’re happy for the next guy and you’re not worried about yourself. I feel like there’s going to be plenty more wins to come. We’re just getting closer, and once we get Cade (Cunningham) back, it’s going to be a whole different dynamic on the team as far as everything out there. I think we’re coming together.”
Morris, who said last summer that he dreamed of wearing a Pistons jersey, was all smiles after the game. Lower back tightness caused him to miss preseason, and then a right quad injury delayed his regular season debut in late October. A month later, he suffered a setback with his rehab and got a PRP injection to help his quad heal — pushing his debut back to January.
He began ramping up earlier this month, and had been teasing his debut Wednesday on social media. A career 39.2% 3-point shooter who has never averaged more than a turnover per game, the 28-year-old quickly meshed with the team on Wednesday. He should be able to help remedy two of the Pistons’ biggest issues this season — floor-spacing, and ball control.
“It feels good,” Morris said. “The game was normal. For me, it’s like I just gotta get better with play calls. I know the plays, but I feel like I can perfect them. It’s just the beginning. This is just to get my feet wet, I'm gonna be better. Every game, my goal is to get better. Just felt good playing basketball again. My last game was March 31, so it’s been a long time coming and I had a setback in preseason. I’ve just been staying with it. Been a tough journey. Putting God first. Tonight was special for me.
“Me and (assistant coach) Jarrett Jack, we’ve had countless hours just working even when I wasn’t able to jump on my jump shot, still getting up reps,” he continued. “I was comfortable shooting the ball. My legs aren’t as fatigued as I thought they would be, so that’s a good sign. We’re going to keep ramping it up slowly. I just gotta stay on top of my game and be ready to perform when my number is called.”
Picking up a win in his debut, of course, made the night sweeter for Morris. He spent the last four months watching from the sideline, taking note of Detroit’s on-court issues. This season hasn’t gone how he, or anyone else, expected. But he’s looking forward to finally being able to do what he came to Detroit to do — be a leader. The team has lacked focus, but has now picked up two wins in five games and has an opportunity to make it three in six on Saturday when they host the Wizards.
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“He’s just a guy stable on the ball that is gonna close the quarter because we’ve had issues closing the quarters,” Bojan Bogdanovic, who led all scorers with 34 points on Wednesday, said. “He’s there and knows time-score situation. A lot of our young guys, all of us are going to benefit from here just being there, and his leadership. Another veteran guy on the court.”
Monty Williams will now have to juggle a fully-healthy backcourt featuring Killian Hayes, Jaden Ivey, Marcus Sasser and, soon, Cade Cunningham, who missed his eighth-straight game with a left knee strain. It’s a good problem for a head coach to have. Morris will be a significant part of his rotation — the Pistons need his steady hand as they look to stack more wins with less than half of the season left.
“Just knows how to play,” Williams said. “He has his own pace. You can see what he was doing in the pick and roll. His pace to hold the guy off and create the pocket space for our bigs to catch, and then the threat of him knocking down the shot is huge for us because of his ability to step out there, first shot, I think it was a 3. His poise and experience is something we definitely need and it’s just good to see him on the floor.”
Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him @omarisankofa.
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Next up: Wizards
Matchup: Pistons (5-39) vs. Washington (7-36).
Tipoff: Noon Saturday; Little Caesars Arena, Detroit.
TV/radio: Bally Sports Detroit; WXYT-FM (97.1).
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons desperately need Monte Morris' 'poise and experience'
