Adam Morrison: A Deep Dive into College Stats and Legacy

Adam Morrison, a name synonymous with high-scoring college basketball and, later, NBA draft disappointment, left an indelible mark on the sport. Before becoming the third overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, Morrison captivated audiences with his offensive prowess at Gonzaga University. This article breaks down Morrison's college stats, explores his impact on Gonzaga, and examines the factors that contributed to his complex legacy.

Early Success: Freshman Year (2003-2004)

Morrison's career at Gonzaga started strong with an impressive freshman campaign. As a freshman, the young forward averaged 11.4 points per game and was named to the WCC All-Freshman Team.

Sophomore Surge: Leading the Bulldogs (2004-2005)

In his sophomore year, Morrison again led the Bulldogs to the WCC regular-season title.

Junior Year: A Scoring Sensation (2005-2006)

Morrison’s junior season at Gonzaga was one of the best in school history. Morrison was the NCAA’s leading scorer that year, averaging 28.1 points per game. He scored at least 30 points in 13 games that season, reaching the 40 point mark in five of those outings. Morrison was named the Co-Player of the year with Duke’s J.J. Redick.

NCAA Tournament Spotlight

The high-scoring wingman would gain the public’s attention again in the NCAA Tournament. Leading his team to the Sweet Sixteen, Morrison scored 24 points in a heartbreaking loss to UCLA. The Zags blew a 17 point lead and turned the ball over three times in the final seconds.

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The "Flutie Effect"

Booming freshman enrollment led Gonzaga to introduce a more selective admissions process in 2003, which led to a significant increase in the academic credentials of incoming freshmen. Gonzaga University president Rev. Gonzaga has been viewed as reaping benefits from its basketball-related exposure to this day. The university's financial position and fundraising success dramatically improved.

Gonzaga's Rise to Prominence

Gonzaga basketball is now a juggernaut, far from the plucky underdog status the Zags held on to through their first few NCAA Tournament runs. The move from mid-major to major contender is largely due to Morrison, a homegrown kid who went from GU ball boy to All-American - a particularly impressive arc considering he wasn’t a top-100 recruit coming out of high school.

Gonzaga's Basketball Legacy

Since the mid-1990s, Gonzaga has established itself as a major basketball power in a mid-major conference. They have been to every NCAA tournament held since 1999, a year in which they made a Cinderella run to the Elite Eight, and have appeared in every final AP poll since the 2008-09 season. Gonzaga had an active weekly poll streak of 143 weeks, starting from the 2016-17 season and ending on January 15, 2024, being tied for the tenth longest streak in Division I history. They have also appeared in all but one WCC conference title game since 1995, and in every conference title game since 1998, winning 21 of them. The 2016-17 Bulldogs went to the program's first-ever Final Four, advancing to the 2017 national championship game, where they lost to North Carolina.

NBA Career and Challenges

The Charlotte Bobcats made several questionable draft decisions in their short time in the NBA. Selecting Morrison with the third pick in 2006 is high on that list. Morrison was the first player drafted by the new Manager of Basketball Operations, Michael Jordan. The Co-Player of the Year was a big name in the college game, being the cover athlete for NCAA March Madness 2007.

Early Promise and Setbacks

His rookie season began well but Morrison would lose his starting job before the year was over. He averaged 11.8 points and 2.9 rebounds, good enough to be named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team. After missing the entire 2007-08 season, Morrison would be traded in 2009 to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Lakers Tenure and Championship Rings

This Lakers team was deep and there wasn’t much room for Morrison in the rotation. He averaged less than eight minutes per game and played in only 39 games in his season and a half with them. Morrison earned two championship rings on the Lakers bench but Los Angeles would cut him after the 2009-10 season.

Draft Class Context and Missed Opportunities

The 2006 NBA draft class is one of the weakest draft classes of the last two decades. The lack of star power does little to water down the bust of taking Morrison third overall. The Bobcats got a year and a half of nine points per game instead of drafting future All-Stars like Rajon Rondo, Kyle Lowry, or Brandon Roy. Even long-term role players like Rudy Gay, PJ Tucker, and Redick would have brought more value.

Injury Impact

It’s quite possible that things could have played out differently if Morrison hadn’t torn his ACL.

Post-Playing Career

Morrison worked for Mark Few as an assistant at Gonzaga from 2013-15. He has been an assistant coach for Mead high school since 2017.

Evaluating Morrison's Lakers Performance

Has any player in NBA history done less in the course of winning back-to-back rings? Adam Morrison was traded to the Lakers on February 7, 2009. Over the season-and-a-half that followed, he appeared in 41 games total and only two in the playoffs. His aggregate playing time with the Lakers, regular and post-season combined, comes to less than 300 minutes. Essentially, out of every four games he was on the Lake Show’s roster, three he spent either inactive or nailed to the bench, and in the fourth he’d be given seven or so minutes of garbagio time. At no point in his Laker career was Morrison involved in a moment of any on-court significance.

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For all this, the Lakers paid him roughly $6.9 million. That’s absurd, clearly, but it’s not Adam’s fault. By all accounts, he’s a hard worker and an exceedingly nice dude. He’s never complained about minutes, or about anything else for that matter. He’s never caused problems in the locker room or done anything to embarrass the organization. His only sin is being terrible at basketball. That he’s been grossly overpaid is the fault of Michael Jordan, who selected him third overall in the 2006 draft, and of NBA scouts who, as a group, failed to see how poorly the game Morrison flashed at Gonzaga would translate to the pros. Adam did well enough in college to fool the people who cut the checks. Through a modicum of skill, some hard work and a goodly measure of luck, he’s become a rich guy at the expense of even richer guys.

On-Court Weaknesses

On those rare occasions when he got some burn as a Laker, Morrison displayed the full panoply of weaknesses. He doesn't have the quickness or handle to get himself decent looks, and when he does get a shot off, he's not very good at getting the ball through the hoop. For a guy who made his reputation in college as a Larry Bird-caliber shotmaker, his shooting numbers (a 41% Effective Field-Goal Percentage and 42% True Shooting Percentage in 2009-10) are unacceptably bad. You can still find scouts to rave about his stroke, but as a Laker he made just six of 25 three-point attempts. There's really no indication that he could serve as even a Steve Novak type, someone who does nothing but stand around the arc and wait to drain an open three. Morrison is a shooting specialist who can't shoot. On defense, the situation isn't any prettier.

Fan Perspective

For all his limitations - and really, AMMO is nothing but limitations - it’s impossible for any Laker fan to carry ill will toward Morrison. He was never on the court for any crucial moment, so he never had the chance to disappoint us. We’ll always remember him as the lovably befacial-haired mascot of the Taco Unit. There are worse fates for professional athletes.

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