Jayhawks in the NBA: Power Rankings — Week 7

1. Markieff Morris – Markieff Morris managed to stay on top of the list for a SIXTH straight week, although it appears he finally has a serious competitor to his proverbial thrown. They say to keep your friends close and your enemies closer, but what do they tell you to do with your twin brother? Indeed Marcus Morris is now challenging his older brother for the number one spot on this list, after an impressive performance for the red hot Suns this week. Both Morrii (pictured below) have continued to play well individually, but it is when they are on the court together that the magic really happens (check out this alley-oop from twin to twin). First things first, let’s talk about the older Morris. Markieff Morris played well in both of the Suns’ games this week, averaging 12.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game. Additionally, Markieff Morris shot 53.3% from the floor and 80% from the free-throw line. Consistent play has been a huge part of Morris’ game, as he’s now managed to see 20+ minutes of playing time in 11 straight games.  As long as Morris continues to play at a high level, he should remain at the top of this list, but any slip up and this next man will have his spot…

2. Marcus Morris – Early in his career, Marcus Morris struggled to get on to the floor. Kevin McHale didn’t know what to do with him in Houston. Marcus was too big to play at the three; he was too small to play at the four.  That all changed when Marcus Morris was shipped off to Phoenix by request of his big brother. Many thought that Markieff Morris wanted his younger brother around because he missed him or because he felt bad for him. Actually, Markieff wanted Marcus back because he is an outstanding young talent. Both Morrii have played better since Marcus’ arrival in Phoenix, but Markieff Morris was instrumental in finding a role for his younger brother on the Suns. The Morris twins are near unstoppable when on the court together, as they have such chemistry that could only exist between… well… twins. I’ll talk specifically about Marcus Morris and his week below, but it has been exciting to watch the two brothers as they take the NBA by storm.

3. Mario Chalmers – Playing on the Heat is a bit of a double-edged sword for Mario Chalmers; let me explain. The positive of playing with legends such as LeBron James and Dwyane Wade is that Chalmers could possibly find his way in to the Basketball Hall of Fame (keeping in mind that college success is accounted for as well), after starting at point guard for two, and it will probably end up being a few more than two, championship teams. The downside is that while Chalmers will experience a successful career, he will never be able to put up the individual numbers we all know he’s capable of. Regardless, Chalmers had a pretty solid week, as the Heat improved to 17-6 on the season, good enough for second in the Eastern Conference. Chalmers averaged 9.3 points, 3.7 assists, 3.0 rebounds, 1.0 blocks, and 2.3 steals per game over the last week, as he continues to be one of the most versatile point guards in the entire NBA. And talk about consistency… Chalmers went 3-7 from the floor in each of his three games last week, in 32, 28, and 30 minutes respectively. Chalmers is sort of a marker for the Jayhawks in the NBA, as he is an above-average player, so any player that gets ranked above him should know that they are doing something right!

4. Ben McLemore – McLemore had a really rough week; there’s no way around that. However, his lack of success is far from entirely his fault, as he had to learn to play with a new teammate starting at the small-forward position: Rudy Gay. Gay is accustomed to taking a lot of shots; in fact, his career average is 15.4 field goal attempts per game. This year, however, Gay is on pace to set a new career high, with nearly 18 field goal attempts per game. Obviously this means that McLemore will have to learn to adjust, but this week was difficult for him, as he dropped all the way from the two spot on last week’s this list. Much like the man below him on the list, McLemore is adjusting to life with a superstar in the lineup, but there is still much to be hopeful about. McLemore has become a very aggressive player, taking 55 shots in his last five games. Eventually McLemore’s shot will start to fall, and when it happens… look out! McLemore is very close to putting it all together and becoming not only one of the best rookies, but one of the best young players in the league.

5. Xavier Henry – Xavier Henry (pictured above) had an up-and-down week, but this shouldn’t be news to anyone considering that he’s done it in nearly every week since college (Don’t believe me? Click the link). Xavier Henry is still learning to adjust to playing with Kobe Bryant, but the two seemed to form a bit of chemistry as the week went on. In fact, the Lakers won their first game since the return of Bryant on Saturday, although Henry had a bit of a down game. Regardless, the two have already combined for a sweet highlight, when Bryant assisted a Henry fast-break dunk over Kevin Durant. Henry has become known as one of the high-flyers in the league, and it isn’t out of the realm of possibility to assume that we could see him in the dunk contest this year (and let’s face it, who wouldn’t want to see him in there if he can pull off a dunk like this…). Henry appeared in four games over the course of the week, averaging 12.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game. Henry has certainly recovered, as this is his first time on the list since week two! As Kobe Bryant gets more and more minutes, Xavier Henry may see a decline in stats, but Henry has become one of the better offensive players on the Lakers, as he is shooting nearly 46% from the floor and 44% from three point range.

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PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Marcus Morris

It was a struggle to pick a player of the week, but I chose a guy who has outperformed all expectations around him. Marcus Morris only played in two games this week, but he did enough to secure the Player of the Week title for week seven. In one of the key matchups I highlighted, Morris was an absolute force, scoring 22 points on 10/13 shooting against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Suns have now won four straight games, and during that time, Marcus Morris has averaged nearly 12.0 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. However, his best performances came during the last week where he averaged 14.5 points per game. Marcus Morris has continued to be a deadeye shooter from long range, as he sunk 66.7% of his shots from beyond the arc over the last seven days, and he is shooting a tremendous 42.9% from three on the season. In fact, Marcus Morris is on pace to shoot over 45% from the floor and 40% from the three-point line for the first time in his career… his older brother has yet to achieve that feat as well.  Marcus Morris has emerged as a serious contender for the number one spot on this list, and if he continues with his recent success, it won’t be long before he is the top Jayhawk in the NBA.

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Overall, this was a balanced week for the Jayhawks in the NBA, but it was a productive one nonetheless. This week was all about recovering from injury, as Kirk Hinrich, Paul Pierce, and Brandon Rush are among the Jayhawks fighting the “injury bug” in the NBA. Ultimately it will be back to business as each of the Jayhawks looks to continue carving his own legacy in the NBA. I suspect that Ben McLemore will bounce back in the coming week, but Xavier Henry may struggle with less and less time on the court, meaning that Kirk Hinrich or Paul Pierce could be seeing a return to the top five pretty soon. This is Pierce’s second straight week off the top five, and one has to think that this will likely be his last.

This week there are some cool matchups to watch: Three in particular. Friday, December 20^th, Ben McLemore and the Kings will take on Mario Chalmers and the Miami Heat. This will be a great opportunity to see McLemore face off against one of the best shooting guards in the NBA, Dwyane Wade. This matchup will also be another chance to see how McLemore and new teammate Rudy Gay will gel, early in Gay’s campaign as a King.  Also on Friday, the Phoenix Suns will travel to Denver to take on the Nuggets. Three former Jayhawk big-men, Darrell Arthur, Markieff Morris, and Marcus Morris, will be on display in this contest, and both teams have been hot as of late. In fact, the Nuggets have gone 9-3 over the last three weeks, while the Suns are entering this week on a four-game winning streak. Finally, the Lakers will head over to Utah on Saturday to take on the Jazz. In addition to the developing Xavier Henry/Kobe Bryant storyline, this will also be a great opportunity to watch Brandon Rush, who is finally recovering from injury and returning to the court. Finally, (as always) I will leave all of you with a recap of the first seven weeks, and as again, if you have any comments or questions please do not hesitate to write them below or send them to me on twitter: @ScottChasen1994.