First, he has excellent size at 6-8. His size prevented most college defenders from challenging his shot effectively, which gave Morrison the calm to focus without worrying about whether his shot would be blocked. That calm is deeply important for shooters. In a sense, almost every jump shot he took was uncontested.

In the NBA, he is often seeing the hand of a tall, quick, capable defender. This is one reason his field goal percentage on 2-point shots is 37.3, barely above his 3-point percentage of 35.4. On 3-pointers, the defender has more ground to cover to get to Morrison and thus is often not close enough to distract him as the shot is launched, whereas inside the line the spacing is tighter.

Most of Morrison's jumpers -- whether off the dribble or in catch-and-shoot situations -- look good, but most of them don't go in, despite the shooting ability he showed in college. These missed shots are usually a result of two things -- a lack of confidence and a disrupted rhythm. Simply put, he's not yet comfortable making a shot with a hand in his face. His overall discomfort has hurt him even at the free-throw line, where he's hitting only 67.8 percent.

In college, especially on his patented runners, Morrison often seemed a man among boys, seemingly able to throw in any shot from any angle off the dribble, in part because his view of the hoop and his shooting motion were unobstructed thanks to his size advantage. These were shots that are not easily taught or replicated, and it often looked as if Morrison were lucky they went in. It was not luck -- he is a very gifted player.

But talent alone was not enough to get Morrison to the high level he reached at Gonzaga. Genuine confidence and permission from the coach to miss shots were required as well (otherwise known as being "the man").

But Morrison is not yet "the man" in Charlotte. So, while his instincts are special and his skill level is very high, he has several obstacles to overcome before he can become a consistent scorer for the Bobcats.

Offense: With the ball

With the ball in his hands, Morrison is always looking to score. He can catch and shoot, show a shot fake and drive (usually to the right), or work a little with the jab step before driving.

I saw very little space creation at the point of attack, either for a no-dribble shot or a drive. His shot fake is excellent, but his jab series is poor -- that's not uncommon for a young player.

Morrison has not yet developed the habit of working to get the proper attack angles in his drives. Too often he makes a shallow dribble drive that is easily defended.

If he does get some space and the proper angle on a drive, he usually does an excellent job of putting his body on his defender and cutting off the defender's options at getting better position. This is a skill most good scorers have -- a great understanding of how to use their body as a weapon.

Morrison has terrific body control when he finishes -- he is normally balanced on the release or moving smoothly. His range of finishing options is somewhat limited -- a pull-up jumper with a slight fade, a step-back jumper or a runner that he shoots off one leg. The mechanics all look sound though not great.

Morrison can score in the post and can take advantage of his size inside, but he has rarely attempted to do so. I suspect the Charlotte coaches will direct Morrison to do this more often.

In fact, according to 82games.com, an astounding 90 percent of Morrison's shots have been jumpers. For a player with Morrison's scoring ability, and with such a low field-goal percentage, that is an extremely high number, comparable to that of better shooters such as Kyle Korver.

Morrison is quite accomplished at the two-man game on side ball screens, having a good feel as to when he should shoot or pass to his screener. He does a nice job looking for and feeding the post as well. Morrison also is willing to make easy pass plays when his scoring options are well-defended, which is rare for a scorer. Though he leads his team in shots attempted, he does not play selfishly. When help defenders pinch on him, he makes the pass to the open man.

But Morrison does not see the entire floor and make passes that account for the other nine players on the floor. Despite the similarities in appearance and demeanor, he's no Larry Bird.

His ballhandling in general is average to below average for a perimeter player. My simple test on this is, Does the ball make him faster or slower? In most cases, his dribble speeds are equal to his normal running speed. He is not a threat to blow by his defender off the dribble, but he can advance it under full-court pressure.

Offense: Without the ball

When Morrison is running around screens as part of a set action or pattern, he displays a good knowledge of changing speeds and takes the proper angles off those screens to get open.

He is not yet consistent at what I call "Reggie Millers" -- sprinting around deep screens and shooting 3s while squaring up before the defender can find and cover him. Morrison likely will become adept at this skill in time, causing major problems for opponents.

Morrison works fairly hard at getting open against a denying defender. Morrison's feel for sliding to the open spot on the perimeter is OK, but not great -- too often he remains stationary when a slide or cut is a better option.

Morrison makes a decent effort in transition and does exhibit some nice finishing moves at the rim. Transition is another area where he can use his size and creative scoring touch to his advantage. But he is not a threat to lead the break as many wing players in the NBA are.

Morrison is a disaster thus far as an offensive rebounder. In 714 minutes, he has managed to collect a total of seven offensive rebounds (three were on Wednesday, so perhaps he's getting a clue).

To gain some perspective, consider that the backup point guard in Denver has nine offensive boards in only 405 minutes. Yes, that's right, Earl Boykins at 5-foot-5 and playing fewer minutes has more offensive rebounds than Morrison. There is simply no excuse for this. The Bobcats must get more offensive boards from their No. 3 pick.

(See below for more on Morrison's rebounding "technique.")

DEFENSE

If Morrison is a disaster as an offensive rebounder, the best word to describe his defense is pathetic. Both his effort and his effectiveness are truly subpar.

People often say that Morrison "plays no defense." They are right.

I call it a "disinclination to defend." Here's what I mean:

Morrison rarely denies his man important spots on the floor; in fact, he does not even attempt to most of the time.

Once a defender catches the ball, Morrison stands passively in front of him, upright instead of bent into an athletic position. As the offensive player is deciding to dribble, pass or shoot, Morrison does nothing to influence his actions. Often he leaves his arms hanging down at his sides and his feet rooted to the ground. If the opponent makes the decision to drive, Morrison provides little resistance and often stops sliding his feet after a few dribbles.

A few thoughts about fouling: NBA players sometimes take a foul to send a message or prevent an easy score when they get beat. At times, they accumulate fouls just because they are playing hard and physical and the officials are calling a tighter game.

But so far this season, Morrison has had only 47 fouls called on him. Compare Morrison to fellow lottery pick Rudy Gay, another perimeter player (one who makes a greater impact than Morrison on defense, especially with his shot-blocking). Gay came into the league with a "soft" label as someone who was not intense or physical enough. But in far fewer minutes, Gay has 50 fouls.

Consider this: Morrison has blocked a total of three shots this year. Boykins has blocked two, even though he is 15 inches smaller and sometimes guards the same players Morrison does.

It's Morrison's lack of hustle that concerns me most. Offensive rebounds, blocks and steals are often considered "hustle" stats. Morrison has a combined total of 20, just three more than his backup in Charlotte, Matt Carroll, who is like Morrison just an average athlete. But Carroll has played only 207 minutes, less than one-third Morrison's total.

Morrison is just as ineffective off the ball, not making an effort at anticipating where the ball is going to or which player is going to make a cut or screen. He is giving effort at chasing his man around screens, but has no feel whatsoever for fighting through them or guessing when to go over or under them.

His effort in transition is similarly lacking. While he often sprints back, he appears to do so without thinking about where he needs to run to. And too often I've seen him make his first two steps back at half speed before realizing an opponent is beating him down the floor.

Also, Morrison makes little effort at drawing charges or diving on the floor for loose balls.

On rebound opportunities, Morrison does tend to drift toward the paint, but he does not spend much energy blocking out, fighting for position or making a strong play for a 50/50 ball. He gets rebounds only when they come right to him. He has only 52 defensive boards. In contrast, Rudy Gay has 76 defensive boards in far fewer minutes.

I would not write that when he is on the floor defensively for Charlotte, they are faced with a five-on-four disadvantage. But it's close.

OUTLOOK

How Morrison can turn it around

The easy thing would be to write "make more shots." But there has to be a fundamental change in Morrison's game if he wants to become a productive and consistent player in the NBA.

The first thing I'd like to see is a lot more "beast" in his game. Sometimes stars feel as if it's not cool to be seen as trying too hard, a ridiculous notion but one that is present in the NBA. But Morrison's superstar days are back in Spokane.