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Atlanta Hawks 2017-2018 Season Review: Jaylen Morris

By Dallin Duffy

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 09: Jaylen Morris #3 of the Atlanta Hawks looks on against the Indiana Pacers during a game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on March 9, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Pacers won 112-87. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using the photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 09: Jaylen Morris #3 of the Atlanta Hawks looks on against the Indiana Pacers during a game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on March 9, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Pacers won 112-87. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using the photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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Jaylen Morris was there and gone very quickly this season, so fans didn’t get much time to watch him in the 2017-18 campaign.

Morris, one of many to receive a 10-day contract from the Hawks in the latter months of the season, played just six games before suffering an ankle sprain that turned out to be season ending. In those six games, the Hawks apparently saw enough potential from the undrafted rookie to sign him to a multi-year contract on March 21st.

Before playing in those six games, Morris had an interesting rise to the Association. Jaylen attended Molloy University, a Division II school in Long Island, New York. There he played four years for the Lions, being named to the all-conference team three times and made a name for himself playing lockdown defense — a skill he’s had since high school, being named Mr. Defense his senior year.

Even after a impressive run in college, Morris went undrafted in the 2017 NBA Draft. This didn’t deter his path to the league however. After a few workouts with the Nets’ G-League affiliate, the Erie Bayhawks selected him in the second round of the G-League Draft.

He proceeded to play in 39 games for the Hawks’ minor league team, starting each of them and averaging 12.6 points per game. He also kept up his reputation for defense, totaling more than one steal per game and also added 0.6 blocks per game, a pretty good number for a guard.

This was enough for the Hawks, who had open roster spots after buying out the contacts of Ersan Ilyasova and Marco Belinelli, and the team decided to give Morris a chance with a 10-day contract offer.

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