His last game was on March 31, 2023, with the Wizards. To say the least Monte Morris was starting to find the time long. Against the Hornets, he was finally able to start his season and wear the Detroit jersey for the first time.
He was understandably nervous. “I had trouble sleeping Tuesday night. I wondered what my first basket was going to look like, or even if I was going to score”, he confided after the meeting.
In the first quarter, after a screen, he found his way to the circle, with a winning basket. “I just read the defense. They missed their defensive coverage a little and I sent. I have confidence in my work”explains Monte Morris.
First match, first victory
A native of Michigan, therefore impatient to play for the Pistons, the playmaker finished with 7 points on 3/4 shooting in 11 minutes. The end of a long period in the infirmary: back injuries deprived him of the preseason. Then, it was his right quadriceps that bothered him in October. So much so that he must receive an injection of PRP (platelet-rich plasma) to relieve his elongation.
” It feels good. This is just the beginning. I’m still taking the temperature and I’m going to make progress,” he announces. “It’s so nice to play basketball again. It's been so long, since March 31, because of this preseason relapse. It was not easy. I spent hours working even when I couldn't jump. There, I was comfortable shooting and my legs weren't too tired, not as much as I thought, which is a good sign. I'm going to build up pressure slowly. »
To make matters worse, the Pistons won. It's not every day: it's only the fifth success of the season, in 44 matches…
“I was so excited on the bench,” he says against Detroit's 12-2 to conclude. “It was hard to be like that when I was in civilian clothes because I wasn't fighting with the guys. I had the jersey, I didn't want to sit down, I wanted to celebrate with the guys. When you're happy for your neighbor, it's contagious. »
One more veteran for the young Pistons
Monte Morris even believes that with the return of Cade Cunningham – absent for almost three weeks – the Pistons will enter into a “totally different dynamic”. In any case, it will be difficult to do worse than during the first part of the season…
With his experience which is not so enormous (343 season matches and 48 playoffs) but remains important for a young group, the former Denver player can be valuable for Monty Williams.
“He knows how to play, he has his rhythm. His calm and experience are clearly things we're going to need and it's nice to see him on the floor.” comments the Pistons coach. “He is a stable player who knows how to finish quarters, and we have problems in this area,” remarks Bojan Bogdanovic. “He knows how to read situations. Many young people will benefit from that, from his leadership. He's another veteran. »
| Monte Morris | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2017-18 | DEN | 3 | 8 | 66.7 | 0.0 | 100.0 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 2.3 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 3.3 |
| 2018-19 | DEN | 82 | 24 | 49.3 | 41.4 | 80.2 | 0.4 | 1.9 | 2.4 | 3.6 | 1.2 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 10.4 |
| 2019-20 | DEN | 73 | 22 | 45.9 | 37.8 | 84.3 | 0.3 | 1.6 | 1.9 | 3.5 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 9.0 |
| 2020-21 | DEN | 47 | 26 | 48.1 | 38.1 | 79.5 | 0.2 | 1.8 | 2.0 | 3.2 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 10.2 |
| 2021-22 | DEN | 75 | 30 | 48.4 | 39.5 | 86.9 | 0.4 | 2.7 | 3.0 | 4.4 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 12.6 |
| 2022-23 | W.A.S. | 9 | 27 | 40.6 | 32.0 | 73.3 | 0.3 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 5.6 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 8.3 |
| Total | 289 | 25 | 47.9 | 39.2 | 82.6 | 0.4 | 2.0 | 2.4 | 3.8 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 10.5 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
