[JNixonParticipant]

18: Tyler Honeycutt, 6’8 187, SF/SG, UCLA, Soph.

A guy who intrigued scouts late in his Fr. year and over the summer, Honeycutt has intrigue to teams and still is developing as a player. The talent is there, as are the athletic and physical tools largely, so he’ll have the upside to warrant the looks he’s getting. Physically, Honeycutt has great height for a swingman, but he’s a stick right now. Needs to put on weight and get stronger to not get exploited in the NBA. Is a pretty good athlete. Looks good running the floor, and shows good leaping skills and quickness as well. Good smoothness and fluidity.

Offensively, Honeycutt has some promising tools but he remains raw. As a complementary scorer in the NBA, Honeycutt will spend a lot of time shooting the ball. He’s a decent shooter right now, particularly spotting up. Can come off screens too a bit. Worked hard to extend his range last summer and got more comfortable shooting the college 3. Will need to do the same from NBA range. Not as effective off the dribble, yet. Could improve that onces he improves his handle. Passes up open shots at times.As a slasher, Honeycutt is very improvable. His handle is a little loose and the ball slows him down, despite a good 1st step. Doesn’t like to drive left. Struggles to get all the way to the rim, and is an inefficient finisher despite soft touch because of his lack of strength and physicality. Doesn’t get to the free throw line much at all. Has point-forward potential, but won’t get to use it until he improves his handle. Shows very good passing skills and unselfishness. Hits cutters and finds open shooters. Needs to improve his decision-making though, as he averages more turnovers than assists and often tries to make risky passes when there are safer options. Also is unselfish to a fault a lot. Very questionable toughness as a player, and aggressiveness is also shaky. Did play in a scheme were off-ball players aren’t featured offensively. Has a fairly unique skill set.

Defensively, Honeycutt has potential but won’t factor much until he improves his body and strength. Can move well on this end and shows good reactive leaping skills. Led the Pac-10 in blocks, which is impressive for a wing despite the lack of shot-blockers in that league. Will be a post up threat against SF’s right now. Doesn’t play physical on this end either really. Has the tools to be effective, but needs to show the sense of urgency and improve his body.

Honeycutt’s potential is big and he could be a nice role player in the NBA in time. His strength, handle, decision making and aggressiveness all need to improve though. He possesses a nice off-ball game, good passing skills, and unselfishness that are all characteristics of a solid role player. And he possesses raw point-forward skills. It may take time, but he could be similar to a Josh Childress-type player. I think his aggressiveness will improve with time, as will his strength.

17: Markieff Morris, 6’9 241, PF, Kansas, Jr.

As a K-State fan, I’ve seen the Morris twins grow up as players big-time. They really worked hard with Danny Manning to improve their skills and they’ve also improved physically and athletically. Now both will likely be separated from each other as they get picked by different teams and embark on this NBA journey. Physically, Morris has prototypical size for the PF position. Possesses a strong body and a 241 lb frame that’s he’s worked on since he arrived at KU. Average length for the position though. As an athlete, Morris shows very functional explosiveness and leaping skills for his size and has very nice quickness and speed as well.

Offensively, Morris has gotten much better as a player improving every year. As a post player, he’s not as skilled as his brother and was reliant on his ability to seal down low and make basic finishes in the high-low game him and his brother were so effective at. He doesn’t really have a move to hang hit has on right now, and really generates a lot of offense off of his teammates. I think in time he’ll add a move or 2 in his repertoire, likely a jump hook and possibly a turnaround jumper than his brother uses effectively. Just like Marcus, Markieff is a huge factor as a shooter. Is deadly when left open with his feet set from as far out as 22 feet consistently. Added shooting to his skill set every year, and got much more confident this past year. Should be very effective in the pick and pop game. Is a factor in the triple threat facing up, as he can shoot, pass and create on drives. Has a quick 1st step for his size and likes to rely on to beat PF’s off the dribble. Also has a spin move and shows nice footwork with it on drives. Sometimes overdribbles and gets too wild though, and get called for charges quite a bit and gets TO’s. As a passer he had chemistry with his brother in the high-low game. Outside of that, he should improve his decisions when making passes out of the post, sometimes throwing sloppy passes. Is a very active offensive rebounder and will get 2nd chance opportunities. Understands that he will be a hustle-type player, but one with solid skills.

Defensively, Morris is solid but doesn’t quite have the length to be great. His strength allows him to functionally defend PF’s and he doesn’t shy away from contact and plays very tough. Doesn’t foul alot like he used to. Not going to be a shot-blocker due to his mediocre length, but man-to-man he’s strong. Also has more than enough athleticism to be a very good pick and roll defender, no matter how his coach uses their pick and roll D. Not bad on the defensive glass either, being very effective rebounding his area.

Morris doesn’t have the upside of his brother or the polished game, but he will be an effective rebounder and finisher from the PF spot. His shooting skills and willingness to be physical and do dirty work definitely don’t hurt either. I want him to go to the 76ers and I think he can be a hustle guy in the Drew Gooden mold, who also has enough talent offensively to be a double digit scorer and make mid-range shots consistently to add on to his dirty work.

[RUDEBOY_Participant]

I havent heard many teams rave about how great Markieff has been in workouts…Some big men like Jeremy Tyler,Tracy Smith,Greg Smith and Nikols Vucevic that were considered 2nd round picks might move ahead of him..Becuz alot of team execs that have been saying great they’ve done in workouts..Them moving up in the draft,might cost Markieff to slip into the 2nd round…

But whoever drafts him will have a solid rotation guy..

[sammybuckeye13Participant]

I’m not surprised Morris hasn’t been great in workouts but that doesn’t change my opinion of him. Morris is the type of playing who melds into the flow of the game, he’s not a great one-on-one player or a great athlete and it’s hard to gauge a big man’s defense this way unless he’s shutting everyone down. It’s easier for Tyler to "impress" with his size and athleticism, Smith with his strength, and Vucevic with his nice skill set for his size, but Morris is still the superior player, he has an ideal frame and size for a clear-cut position, is a terrific shooter and one of the best rebounders in the draft (8.3 rebounds in just 24 minutes for a Big 12 squad…), is ready to contribute right now (that can’t be said about any of the other big men who were more impressive in workouts), and his potential is underrated because his offensive game is developing rapidly (scoring improved from 4.6 to 6.8 to 13.6 points, 3 point attempts jumped from 16 to 19 to 59) and he has a ton of room to grow. I think he’s still solidly in the 13-20 range. 

[kobyzParticipant]

Drew Gooden is not a hustle guy, he is a low iq player, the comparison for Markieff Morris should be Patrick Patterson!

[iguapops420Participant]

 ^^^ Nowhere near the athlete. Patterson is the type of guy who like K-Mart has potential to guard  perimeter guys as well as big men. Markieff is a Gooden type with more heart and a better b-ball I.Q. Gooden is actually quite the hustle player evidenced by his offensive rebounding ability. Just so happens that he thinks he’s better than he actually is often causing him to do things he shouldn’t. Plays lackadasical defense as well.

[Mr. 19134Participant]

 Drew Gooden coming into the league compares more to Marcus Morris.  Remember Gooden started at Small Forward his rookie year in Memphis cuz Pau was their PF, and got traded when they realized he wasn’t a small forward.

[Mr. 19134Participant]

 Drew Gooden coming into the league compares more to Marcus Morris.  Remember Gooden started at Small Forward his rookie year in Memphis cuz Pau was their PF, and got traded when they realized he wasn’t a small forward.

If you look at the number Kieff put up in only 23 minutes, 13 n 8, they are impressive.  Had he gotten 30 plus minutes he would of no doubt been a 17 and 11 type player.

I Kieff reminds me of Kevin Love because of they are the same size, both bulky but agile and can extend the floor on offense and have a great feel for rebounding.  While he is not the same prospect Love is or was, he will be a better defender where Love will always be a better scorer.

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