When Monte Morris walks to the Nuggets’ bench for a timeout, past Michael Malone and through waves of high fives from teammates both on his left and right, he’ll eventually hear a familiar voice in his ear, especially if the proud Flint, Michigan native’s chin is hanging a bit lower than normal following a missed three. It’s Isaiah Thomas, who more often than not offers the same two-word message to Morris when he senses that the Nuggets’ second-year point guard needs a pick-me-up.
“If I miss a shot, he’ll always tell me the same thing when I get back to the sideline: ‘Keep shooting,'” Morris said.
Morris hasn’t missed often from three this season, both thanks to Thomas’ encouragement and a detailed offseason regimen where the 23-year-old broke down his shot and recalibrated his shooting form so that his guide hand wasn’t as involved in his release. Heading into Wednesday’s matchup against the Jazz, Morris is the Nuggets’ most accurate long-range shooter, hitting 43 percent of his triples on the season.
Behind his deadly three-point stroke and steady floor game, Morris has gone from a G Leaguer, who only logged 25 minutes for the Nuggets during his rookie year, to a Summer League standout and now to one of the better backup point guards in the NBA. It’s not exactly how Denver envisioned its depth chart at that position sorting out when the Nuggets put the finishing touches on their roster over the summer.
While Morris was flaunting his talent at the Las Vegas showcase in July, the Nuggets were courting Thomas to play a high-usage role off their bench. The Nugget met with Thomas in Vegas and agreed to a one-year veteran’s minimum contract with the two-time All-Star one day after Morris dropped 21 points on 7-12 shooting and seven assists to one turnover in his Summer League finale. Sure Thomas’ rehab could extend into training camp and the regular season, but even Michael Malone admitted last week that Denver didn’t imagine Thomas’ absence extending this far into the year.
In his place, Morris has anchored a Nuggets second unit that’s been one of the better benches in the league through 45 games. Morris has held his own on the defensive end of the floor despite his slight 175-pound frame while compiling the second-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the league. He hasn’t turned the ball over in his last 76 minutes on the floor, a turnover-less streak that’s lasted Denver’s last four games. Earlier this season, Morris didn’t give the ball away in 108-straight minutes (five games). But as Thomas’ inches closer to a return, one that he envisions will come in mid-February, some of Morris’ minutes could be in jeopardy.
It’s a prospect that Morris isn’t worried about. Even in the midst of a breakout season, one that Malone thinks should land Morris in the Most Improved Player conversation, he’s OK with taking a backseat to a veteran like Thomas if that’s what the Nuggets’ backup point guard situation calls for.
“The thing about us is nobody’s really got egos on this team,” Morris said. “That’s why it’s always somebody different every night, besides you know Nikola (Jokic). We go to him every night. Everybody steps up. It’s not the same guy every night. It just shows you we’re unselfish and I’m looking forward to IT coming back. It’s going to be big time for me to just be a part of the journey because it’s going to be a crazy story how he comes back because he has so many naysayers and things like that about his career. Him coming back, I’m not tripping about it. I’m excited.”
“It’s more so just a brotherhood and just pulling for one another. He’s happy for me right now with how I’m playing. And it’s vice versa. So I’m excited for it.”
Thomas carries loads of clout in the Nuggets’ locker room but especially with Morris who’s run up a hefty phone bill due to all the text messages the two have exchanged throughout the season. Morris and Thomas go back and forth about the league at length. They share thoughts about Denver’s upcoming opponent or exchange notes on Morris’ matchup later that evening, an opposing point guard that Thomas has usually gone against at one time or another over his eight-year career. Morris is also close with Thomas’ family. He hangs out with his two boys. Even though Thomas hasn’t made an impact with the ball in his hands this season, many within the organization don’t believe that the Nuggets would have climbed the Western Conference ladder as quickly as they have if it wasn’t for his wisdom.
“His leadership alone helps us,” Morris said. “We probably wouldn’t be this high in the West if he wasn’t in our locker room giving us tips on guys he played and just knowing how to pull through. I look up to him a lot not just because he plays my position but because of what he’s been through and everything. We’re looking forward to having him back. Everybody knows what he can bring to a table and you add that on top of what we’re doing right now. We should be really really good.”
“Even while he’s not playing, he’s still having a profound impact on our young players,” said Malone. “His voice, his leadership in huddles, during games, in practices and in the locker room. We have a relatively quiet group and one thing I think everybody knows that’s been around Isaiah is that he’s not quiet. And that’s a good thing.”
How will Malone divide playing time among Morris, Gary Harris and Will Barton, who are still both ramping up to starter minutes, reserve guard Malik Beasley, who’s proven to be a reliable two-way wing throughout the first half of the season and Thomas when he gets healthy?
It’s a challenging task that Denver’s coach will meet head-on when he has to. On paper, it seems impossible to allocate consistent minutes for both Thomas and Morris in Denver’s backcourt on a night to night basis.
“No one’s putting themselves before the team and that’s when you know you have a really strong culture in place,” Malone said. “And Monte, that’s going to be really hard for me. Tough decision. Because guys have played really well over long stretches. We’re not two weeks into the season. We’re (45) games in. Monte’s earned the right to play. Malik Beasley’s earned the right to play. So I think guys understand that we are deep. Guys have put us in a position to be second place in the Western Conference, a half-game out of first. So we’ll make those decisions accordingly.”
Thomas’ return doesn’t feel imminent, but he’s been progressing steadily in his rehab from season-ending hip surgery last March and has started to practice with some contact. ESPN recently reported that Thomas is targeting a return around February’s All-Star break but Malone reiterated last week that he remains out indefinitely.
Whenever Thomas finally takes the floor, he’ll have the backing of the entire Nuggets’ locker room but most importantly, Morris.
