The Oklahoma City Thunder need all the help they can get to not only dethrone the Golden State Warriors, but put themselves in position to do so in the first place. Billy Donovan's team is 37-20, good for third place in the Western Conference, three games ahead of the Portland Trail Blazers in the loss column. It looks increasingly likely the Thunder will be the two or three seed come playoff time, subject to a tough first-round matchup in which they'll nevertheless be favorites before meeting the Warriors or Denver Nuggets in an epic conference semifinals.
Thursday's addition of Markieff Morris was no doubt made to give Oklahoma City its best chance possible to thrive come spring. It's a no-brainer in a vacuum. What team couldn't use a veteran big man with ample postseason experience who can play either spot in the frontcourt, attack mismatches on the block, keep defenses honest from three, and switch onto star opposing ball handlers in a pinch? Morris' versatility makes him an easy fit for most any team in the NBA, even as a midseason addition.
But his place in the Thunder's rotation will be an interesting post-All-Star wrinkle to follow nonetheless. Jerami Grant, it first bears stressing, is entrenched as a starter at power forward. His length, activity, and athleticism allows Oklahoma City's starting lineup to switch across four positions without negative recourse, and functions to make Russell Westbrook and Paul George even more dangerous in transition. Grant is shooting 37.3 percent on 3.1 3-point attempts per game, too, including a rock-solid 35.6 percent from above the break. Also crucial: 18 five-man units league-wide have played at least 300 minutes this season, and the plus-13.6 net rating of the Thunder's starters ranks second among them.
Morris, needless to say, won't be starting over Grant. And while it's easy to assume he'd immediately fill a void behind Steven Adams at backup center, the Thunder actually don't need much help there at all. Nerlens Noel has enjoyed a major bounce-back campaign in his likely single-season audition with Oklahoma City. If current numbers hold, he'll join David Robinson this season as just the second player in league history with a steal rate better than 3.0 percent and block rate better than 7.0 percent, per Basketball-Reference. Those metrics aren't hollow, either: Noel leads the league's third-ranked defense with a 100.7 defensive rating, a result of his penchant for racking up steals and blocks as much as his ability to switch one-through-five and protect the rim from all comers.
There are some matchups in which Morris would make more sense for Oklahoma City than Noel defensively. Nikola Jokic might feast against both players, but Morris, at a grown 245 pounds, would surely put up a better fight guarding the Denver Nuggets superstar than the stick-thin Noel. The same thinking applies to DeMarcus Cousins in a theoretical matchup with Golden State. Otherwise, though, it will be difficult for Donovan to play Morris ahead of Noel given how many Western Conference stars are comfortable letting fly from 3-land off the dribble.
If Morris were more accustomed to playing a situational role, or even just coming off the bench, he'd make for a perfect replacement in the rotation for Patrick Patterson, who's again struggling to live up to expectations from when the Thunder signed him two summers ago. But Patterson is playing just 14.7 minutes per game this season, and depending on his team's opponent, Donovan might only be able to find enough consistent playing time in the postseason for three big men – and it won't be Adams or Grant losing minutes.
Ultimately, this is a very good problem for Oklahoma City to have. Indeed, there will be circumstances of time, score, and opposing personnel in the playoffs that make Morris a better option than Noel at backup center, and perhaps even at power forward ahead of Grant. Losing Alex Abrines earlier this month made it more difficult for the Thunder to go small with George at power forward. Unless Deonte Burton proves playable against elite teams, Oklahoma City's hand might be forced into employing two big men almost full-time. If so, Morris will prove a valuable piece of additional depth.
But given how many other teams with title aspirations needed help in the frontcourt, including his hometown Philadelphia 76ers, signing with the Thunder seems like a strange choice for Morris.
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