Atlanta Hawks Sign Jaylen Morris for Rest of Season
By Chris Guest
The Atlanta Hawks have reportedly signed Jaylen Morris for the rest of the season according to a tweet from Morris’s agency RZA Sports.
Congrats to @jay_morris30 for signing with the @ATLHawks for the rest of the season. We are proud of your accomplishment and now it’s time to put the @NBA on notice. Keep working! pic.twitter.com/OpbnY6hFPK
— RZA Sports (@RZASports) March 17, 2018
Morris has signed two consecutive 10-day Contracts, and the Hawks franchise has seen enough from the undrafted rookie to let him stay with the team for the rest of the season. Though he has been out with a left ankle sprain since March 11th, which will likely keep him out of the lineup for two-to-four weeks, Morris showed plenty of energy and potential in his 98 minutes played in 6 total games with Atlanta.
Morris’s stats do not erupt off the page, but 4.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists are just fine for a 16-minutes-a-game role player on this exceedingly young Atlanta team.
As Atlanta gears up for a huge roster overhaul via the 2018 NBA draft, Morris will likely have a shot at making the team next season as well. Only 22 years old, Morris clearly fits the Hawks’ youthful timetable, and he has shown an aptitude and willingness to defend that Coach Mike Budenholzer will certainly appreciate.
Morris has shown an ability to stand up well on the perimeter against some of the game’s best scorers in his 6-game stint earlier this season, and he also blew past preeminent superstar Kevin Durant against the Warriors on March 2.
Jaylen Morris going past Kevin Durant. pic.twitter.com/zsklZNPjqq
— Bally Sports: Hawks (@HawksOnBally) March 3, 2018
Joining Malcolm Delaney, Kent Bazemore, Dewayne Dedmon, Isaiah Taylor and Andrew White III on the Hawks “Undrafted All-Stars” roster, Morris has been a great story for a Hawks team looking for all the silver linings available to them.
This also gives hope to Damion Lee, whose first 10-day contract will expire on March 22nd. He has shown even more polish than Morris in his 3 games with the big club, which makes sense as he is 3 years older.
Next: 5 Possible Top-Five Picks in 2018 Draft for Hawks
With Morris and Lee on the books for the rest of the season (and hopefully next season too) combined with the 4 top-35 draft picks Atlanta will have in the NBA draft, there will be plenty of reason for optimism for Hawks fans going forward.