Suns top draft picks look to develop chemistry
Jul 12, 2012, 7:27 PM | Updated: 8:31 pm
The Suns started a chemistry project this week.
Their two key elements, i.e. draft picks—Markieff Morris
and Kendall Marshall, are being combined with the hope
that a winning formula is discovered.
“I’m going to play those guys as much as I can, as much as
they’re able to and get them as much experience and as
many minutes as they’re able to handle,” said Suns
assistant Dan Majerle who will once again coach the club’s
Las Vegas summer league team.
“Those two are obviously going to be our focus.”
Morris, drafted with the 13th pick in 2011, did not get
the chance to play summer league basketball last year
because of the lockout but is ready to “embrace it” now.
He has taken very little time off since the season ended,
becoming a regular at US Airways Center for workouts with
the coaching staff. Majerle said he plans to play Morris
quite a bit in the post.
“It’s something I’ve been working on all summer,” said
Morris of his inside game. “It’s a good time to showcase
what I can do.”
Meanwhile, Marshall, taken with the 13th pick this year,
said he is both nervous and excited about his first NBA
experience.
“First off, just get up and down the court,” he said when
asked what he hoped to gain from a five-game summer league
schedule that begins Sunday. “I haven’t really got to
play competitive 5-on-5 in awhile. I just want to get
back to doing the things that I do well, getting guys
involved.”
Marshall said the wrist and elbow injuries he suffered
during the NCAA Tournament are no longer an issue. “On
the court I can pretty much do almost everything I was
doing before.”
Right away, he said he noticed the difference between the
pro and college game.
“You can tell off the break,” said the former North
Carolina point guard. “All the guys are athletic. All
the guys are big. Little stuff you can get away with in
college isn’t going to work at this level. It’s going to
take some time to adjust but I’m excited about it. I feel
like I can make that adjustment.”
The Suns are excited as well, especially about the
prospects of Marshall and Morris becoming two cornerstones
of the franchise moving forward.
“Just learn his tendencies, see where he likes the ball,
maybe we get some chemistry on the court,” said Marshall
of playing with Morris.
“There’s a lot of things I’m looking forward to in the
next week or two.”
