While he’ll assuredly see the majority of his playing time with the Wisconsin Herd next season, new Milwaukee Bucks two-way player Jaylen Morris may garner some spot NBA minutes based on his promising defensive qualities.
Seeing that his rapid rise as a professional has now brought him to the Milwaukee Bucks this offseason, two-way player Jaylen Morris is simply looking to make his mark at his current NBA home.
There’s no question the arrival of new Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer and his coaching staff — which includes Josh Longstaff, who served as Morris’ head coach during his time with the Erie Bayhawks last season — weighed heavily in Morris’ signing with the organization in late last month.
But despite the two-way player status he carries, which allows him to be with the parent club for up to 45 days throughout the span of the G League season, Morris is far from guaranteed to see minutes when up with the Bucks.
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And given some of the raw ability and limitations he currently sports in his game, cutting his teeth while with the Herd offers Morris a better opportunity to continue to round out his game under plenty of guaranteed playing time.
The one wrinkle where Morris may soak up some stopgap minutes with the Bucks next season, outside of injury circumstances surfacing throughout the year (knocks on wood), comes via what he has to offer defensively.
For starters, Morris’ physical tools lend credence to this possibility, seeing that he measures in at 6’5″ and possesses a 6’9″ wingspan.
Add in the solid athleticism he possesses and the high basketball IQ he’s been lauded for throughout his stops and Morris’ defensive foundation may be more NBA-ready than initially advertised upon his arrival.
Longstaff pointed out just how valuable Morris’ defensive role was during his time with the Bayhawks last season in an interview with Ridiculous Upside’s Dakota Schmidt right before Morris’ call up to the big leagues earlier this year:
"“His defense fits right in with who we are,” Bayhawks coach Josh Longstaff recently stated to Ridiculous Upside. “Morris competes every possession, he is often tasked with guarding the other team’s best wing player and he uses his length and athleticism to make it difficult on them…like a lot of our guys, he has NBA potential because he has great work habits.”"
It certainly showed in Morris’ advanced numbers as he posted a defensive rating of 101 points per 100 possessions in his 1,224 minutes with the Erie Bayhawks last year, per the G League’ stats database. In the 1,184 minutes without Morris on the bench or with the club, the Bayhawks allowed 105 points per 100 possessions.
The value of Morris’ defensive play carried through to his brief stint with the Atlanta Hawks last season after he signed a pair of 10-day contracts and subsequently a multi-year, non guaranteed deal, starting at the end of February.
Although he only managed to log under 100 minutes of action with the Hawks, Coach Bud recognized the array of Morris’ defensive qualities and overall potential following an early March loss to Golden State Warriors, as transcribed by Graham Chapple of Peachtree Hoops:
"“That’s where he’s got to start,” said Budenholzer of Morris’ defense. “He’s got to be great defensively. I think in a short period of time he’s made a good impression with how he can move his feet, how he can stay with his guy, the toughness, a little bit of strength. I think that’s usually, anytime you’re coming from that level— I guess there’s a few exceptions but, for sure, he’s got to be great defensively and I think he can help offensively also.”"
With the budding versatility he’s displayed in his young pro career, Morris could certainly have the trust of Budenholzer if his hand is forced to ask Morris to at a minimum hold his own defensively in a pinch.
As much as Morris’ biggest challenge for next season will be to smooth some of the deficiencies he holds while with the Herd, the chance for him to see limited minutes with the Bucks is enough motivation to stay the course on his unlikely climb to the NBA.