Jonah Morrison's quick big steps in the World of Basketball

NONTHABURI (FIBA U18 Asian Championship 2018) - They grow up so fast right in front of our eyes – so fast sometimes that we barely realize it.

Jonah Morrison had just gotten his feet wet in the basketball world three years ago as a wide-eyed lanky rookie in the 2015 FIBA U16 Asian Championship and the 2017 FIBA U17 World Championship. Now he’s here in Thailand for the FIBA U18 Asian Championship, leading the Chinese-Taipei National Team.

Morrison has filled out his frame well. He’s gotten wider and built up muscle, looking more and more like a legit “power” forward. Though fans saw him display some outside range in the FIBA U18 3x3 Championship recently, he’s expected to go back to banging it down low in the fullcourt game.

“Since the [FIBA U18 3x3 Championship], I’ve started to play more on the perimeter,” Morrison says. “But coming back to the [FIBA U18 Asian Championship] – because I’m one of the more senior players and these guys are all juniors – I think Coach [Wan-Lung Huang] wants me to start playing from the post. Then if I can go out to the perimeter shots, [I got for it].”

“Step by step, I guess.”

 

Though he says the phrase “step by step” casually, Jonah Morrison’s approach towards his basketball career has been more a rapid “step by step” up to a point where it can be considered a sprint.

The youngster started playing basketball when he was “15-16” back when it was just a interest while attending a small school. Some coaches scouted him and were impressed before deciding to recruit him to play for their school in the high school basketball league.

Basketball has opened a new world for Morrison and he’s hooked.

“I think it’s just when you have basketball as a platform — basketball is a huge platform where if you can play well or if you are an exceptional player, there are many ways to go,” Morrison says. “College, a future in professional sports. Just [people] you know through basketball means a lot so I think that’s how basketball has helped me a lot and that’s what makes me want to play basketball a lot more.”

You can feel the growth Morrison has gone through these past years, not only physically but also mentally as well. He’s displayed a better feel for the game and a better understanding of the game in general.

“For the past three years —everything’s been strange. Like from the beginning, everything was more of trying to adapt to getting the stamina and getting the body you need to be in shape to play basketball. Now it’s more about the fundamentals, the timing, and spacing of the game. So I think it’s just kind of getting used to how everything works together.”

These things are expressed when he gets on the court. Morrison is not a big time scorer. He’s only scored 6.5 points per game in Chinese-Taipei’s past two games, but he’s a big impact on the court in other aspects. He uses his wide frame to gobble up rebounds (10.5 rebounds per game) and, more importantly, he’s a very willing passer.

“I like the passing and spacing of the game,” Morrison says. “I feel more comfortable getting the assist than scoring myself.”

So far, Morrison has logged only 4 assists in total but that’s just what shows on the box score. There are a lot of passes out of double-teams, hockey passes leading to assists, or straight up outlet passes on the break that opens up the offense for Chinese-Taipei and gets them going. It’s tough to gauge exactly what kind of player Morrison is right now. He’s played basketball for only three years, but he also has a handful of experience resulting in a mix of raw talent that shines with polished potential. At this stage, he’s still just trying to soak in everything and anything about basketball to make himself a better player.

“I like everybody,” Morrison says when asked about his favorite player. “I like watching everything. I’m just trying to enjoy the sport and just hear what everybody has to bring to the table.”

But right now, Chinese-Taipei fans are more focused in what Jonah Morrison has to bring to the table and whether it can get them a ticket to the FIBA U19 World Cup.

FIBA