Marcus Morris calls playing for hometown Sixers surreal and ‘everything for me’
The 34-year-old power forward, who the Sixers officially acquired Wednesday, believes his game will be different compared to previous years because he's back home.
Marcus Morris has always represented Philly to the fullest.
During his time at Kansas, and through six NBA stops in 12 seasons, Morris was identified by some as the hooper from Philly.
Now, he’s known as the homegrown 76er, and loves every bit of it.
“We got in about 1:30 this morning,” Morris said Wednesday. “I haven’t even slept. I’ve just been up. I couldn’t believe that I was landing in Philadelphia as the place I’m going to play.
“I don’t know how you guys feel about me or anything like that. But me coming here is like everything for me.”
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The Sixers officially acquired Morris, Robert Covington, Nic Batum, Kenyon Martin Jr., and multiple draft picks Wednesday in exchange for James Harden, P.J. Tucker, and Filip Petrušev in a three-team deal that included the Oklahoma City Thunder. In a separate trade, the Clippers sent Petrušev and cash to the Sacramento Kings.
Morris, 34, comes to the Sixers with averages of 12.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 37.6% three-point shooting in 783 career games. Morris was away from the Clippers this season because of personal reasons.
However, he was their starting power forward the past 3 ½ seasons. Despite that, Morris wasn’t happy in Southern California.
He averaged 11.2 points last season, his lowest full-season output since averaging 10.4 in 2014-15 with the Phoenix Suns.
Morris told the media Wednesday that they may be surprised by what he’ll bring to the city. He’s prepared to play wherever coach Nick Nurse needs him. He knows the expectations in Philly are always to win. He also intends to be a leader.
But why does he think his play will be surprising?
“I just think the team I was on in previous years, I didn’t feel like I was myself,” Morris said. “I was on the West Coast. We all know it’s a big difference from being in East and West. I know I wasn’t myself. I wasn’t half myself.
“Being able to come home and play in front of different fans, and embracing the fanbase and being able to see my family, it’s going to be a different atmosphere for me, a different turnout.”
Morris and his twin brother, Markieff, led Prep Charter High School to two PIAA Class AA state championships. Afterward, they spent a year at Apex Academy in Pennsauken before standing out at Kansas.
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Morris was selected 14th overall by the Houston Rockets in the 2011 NBA draft by Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey, then the Rockets general manager. At the time, Nurse coached the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Houston’s D-League affiliate. Morris played for Nurse while on assignment with the Vipers, and the two remained in contact over the years.
Now, he’s reunited with Morey and Nurse in his favorite city.
“It’s surreal, man,” Morris said of playing for his hometown team. “It’s one time in my career to be able to play in front of the people I grew up in front of and watching my entire career in high school, college and even middle school, my AAU, and my family. It’s surreal.”