With their backcourt rotation continually thinning out on a game-by-game basis in 2025-26, the Indiana Pacers decided to acquire former Sixth Man of the Year candidate Monte Morris on Thursday while waiving 3-time Slam Dunk Contest champion Mac McClung.
The 30-year-old ex-Denver Nuggets point guard established himself as one of the NBA's most reliable reserve guards from 2018-22 with Denver, and the Pacers will attempt to get the incoming nine-year veteran up to speed on their gameplan.
Morris' arguable magnum opus campaign came just one year before the Nuggets and 3-time MVP Nikola Jokić would break through to win the 2023 NBA title, when he averaged 12.6 points, 4.4 assists, and 3.0 rebounds while connecting on 39.5% of his three-point looks throughout the 2021-22 season.
Admittedly, the experienced 6-foot-2 floor general has sputtered since his Nuggets tenure came to a close in 2023, as he was unable to stick with the Washington Wizards, Detroit Pistons, Minnesota Timberwolves, or Phoenix Suns in separate stints from 2023-2025.
One thing is for certain, though. The veteran guard will receive a fair shot at authoring a resurgent season with the Pacers in the continued absence of Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, and T.J. McConnell.
Fittingly enough, his first opportunity to gain the favor of Indiana's coaching staff will come against the Nuggets on Saturday night, a matchup that can supply the underrated backup passer with some added momentum as he prepares for his Pacers debut.
Monte Morris' intangibles can boost the Pacers' bench productivity
When he agreed to ink a deal with the 1-7 Pacers, Morris knew what position he'd be thrust into upon his arrival with the team.
In a few ways, his style and consistent play-making ability can mesh perfectly with Indiana's bench unit. At the very least, he can aim to improve their reserves in a few key categories early in the season.
To put it flatly, the Pacers' No. 21-ranked 53.4 bench offensive rating needs to see an uptick, even if their bench rotation is almost exclusively comprised of current and former second-round draft picks.
Morris can certainly help out in that area, and he'll also try his hand at cleaning up the team's unnecessary mistakes in the process.
A supremely skilled decision-maker and ball-handler, Morris can assist with limiting turnovers for the Pacers as their bench continues to figure out their roles on that end of the floor.
Over the course of his 420-game NBA career, the Michigan native has sneakily become one of the greatest players to ever touch the floor from a ball security perspective.
Believe it or not, his career 4.9 assist/turnover ratio bests the likes of the Los Angeles Clippers' legendary point guard Chris Paul (4.0) and Hall of Fame Utah Jazz passer John Stockton (3.7). Sure, there are some usage discrepancies there, but the fact that he is among some of the greatest distributors of all time in such a crucial statistic is mind-boggling.
While keeping his sensational ability to manage a team's offense in mind, it's not improbable to wonder if one of the NBA's former bench stars can dramatically change the outlook of Indiana's reserves.