Marcus Morris claimed he could stop LeBron James. Then he backed it up
Talk that talk, Marcus.
Marcus Morris put his money where his mouth is, and after proclaiming himself as the second-best LeBron James stopper in the league, he delivered in Game 1 against the Cavaliers on Sunday.
There were 24 instances in which Morris found himself defending the de facto best basketball player on the planet. In those instances, James scored just five points on 2-of-6 shooting to go with two assists and one turnover.
LeBron when guarded by Marcus Morris in Game 1:
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) May 13, 2018
24 Plays
5 Pts
2-6 FG
2 Ast
1 TO pic.twitter.com/pHRUv3XIfN
Asked after Game 1 why he looked forward to defending LeBron in this matchup, Morris responded: “Because I’m a competitor. You know, he’s the best player and I’m gonna be able to tell my kids about this one day.”
How did this get started?
The James-Morris matchup became news on Saturday after Morris, never short on confidence, offered up this quote about Boston’s Eastern Conference Finals series against the Cleveland:
“Personally, I think I’m probably the best guy defending him in the league, outside of Kawhi,” Morris said.
Marcus Morris on the chance to defend LeBron James in playoffs after getting a taste a couple years ago in Detroit: "I’m a little older, a little more experienced. Personally, I think I’m probably the best guy defending him in the league, outside of Kawhi."
— Chris Forsberg (@ESPNForsberg) May 12, 2018
It’s great to have confidence, but you know the internet is going to drag a quote like this. No one can guard LeBron James, the best player in the world and maybe the best player ever. He’s playing what might be his best basketball ever, and your only hope is to slow him down.
Here was the internet’s response before Game 1
Several people found instances of James scoring over Morris with absolute disregard. Like this:
Boston Celtics: "history suggests that Marcus Morris could help us slow [LeBron] down"
— Bruh Report (@BruhReport) May 12, 2018
LeBron: pic.twitter.com/H9qD7FOdcL
And this:
A quick look at how bothered LeBron is by Marcus Morris pic.twitter.com/HS7UheY88r
— E. García Gundersen (@Erik_Gundersen) May 11, 2018
And this:
Based on this defense, LeBron probably doesn't even know who Marcus Morris is pic.twitter.com/rXfFyL4MO1
— Mike Zavagno (@MZavagno11) May 12, 2018
But ... can Morris actually stop James?
We saw what he did in Game 1 of the ECF and there are some stats actually working in his favor here.
LeBron's last 11 games vs. a Marcus Morris team:
— Taylor Snow (@taylorcsnow) May 11, 2018
– 21.1 PPG
– 16.3% shooting from 3
– Has not reached 30 points in a single game
And ...
Maybe Marcus is onto something...
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 13, 2018
Since 2013-14, LeBron James has at least 50 FGA against 26 players in the halfcourt.
He's shooting 33% when defended by Marcus Morris. The only player to force James into a lower percentage in that span is Draymond Green.
h/t @SecondSpectrum pic.twitter.com/1a3JAGlsbO
That shows that Morris has guarded James well in the past. It does not guarantee that Morris will continue to guard James well, or take into context what else might have happened in those games, but it’s interesting.
On the other hand, we should also point out that Morris has not been a good isolation defender in this postseason, even if these stats have a bit of a small sample size.
"LeBron stopper" Marcus Morris has allowed 1.13 ppp in Isolation in the Playoffs. That ranks 8th worst of all players
— Mike Zavagno (@MZavagno11) May 12, 2018
Players who rank below him include LeBron victims Myles Turner & Domantas Sabonis
Who ranks last? None other than previous "LeBron stopper" OG Anunoby (1.39 ppp)
Oh, and Morris doesn’t actually think he’ll shut down LeBron
Just so we’re clear:
Because you guys are freaking out about this quote, here’s another one from Marcus Morris today: “One person can’t defend LeBron, that’s obvious.”
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) May 12, 2018
Morris’ first quote was perhaps a little too confident given he was talking about James, but he’s not saying that he’s going to shut him down single-handedly. That’s good, because he isn’t! But he sure walked a good walk in Game 1.