Marcus Morris Sr. is back, so here are 9 fun MookFacts

Yesterday at 07:00 AM

Mook loves bucket hats, hates 2K and knows more Maroon 5 songs than he thought.

Journey with your correspondent here as we go back to the halcyon days of October 2019 - January 2020. Before the respiratory disease extinction event, before whatever "that me espresso" is. This was not a great time for the New York Knicks as a whole, but it was a fantastic time for new Knick Marcus Morris. In 43 starts with the orange and blue, "Mook" was a walking bucket, averaging a career-high 19 points per game on a .533 true shooting percentage.

Morris scored 25 or more in 11 of those 43 Knicks games, including a scintillant 38-point outing against the Clippers on January 5, 2020. I was in the building for that one – like most non-native Angelenos, I did the Bill Simmons cheap Clippers season ticket thing, just to reserve a seat as the NBA circuit toured through Staples Center. Going to road Knicks games back then was a truly deprived endeavor, as those teams were huge stinkers. It was more about Knicksing in public, congregating with similarly deprived people to chant for Frankie Smokes and yell about chicken cutlets and butcher the Robert Randolph Friday Night Knicks song. But that game was actually very fun, because Marcus Morris was heat-checking to that career-high 38 points on only 19 shots. The Clippers squeaked out a win, and clearly impressed by what they saw, gave up two first-round picks to get Morris a few days later.

I mean, these highlights are just delightful:

Now back to 2024, where the Knicks just announced that Morris will join the team on an exhibit 9 deal. While it's not guaranteed, Morris' veteran presence, big frame and plug-in scoring should earn him that 15th roster spot for the forthcoming season. Will this development make or break the most anticipated Knicks campaign in decades? Almost certainly not! But will you still appreciate this smattering of Marcus Morris Sr. trivia, henceforth known as MookFacts? I sure hope so.

1. Mook is an identical twin.

You almost certainly knew this, because you almost certainly know his brother Markieff. But did you realize HOW identical these twins are? They were picked back-to-back in the 2011 Draft. They became the first set of twins to start an NBA game together. They have the exact same full-body tattoos. They've shared one bank account for most of their pro careers. Their kids are the same age, and they still live around the corner from each other. And with Keef re-signing in Dallas last week, they'll face off at least twice in the forthcoming season.

2. Mook has another nickname, and that nickname is FLASK DAD

There's precious little sourcing on how he got that moniker or what it's supposed to mean, but like everything created by Boston Celtics fan culture, we are going to nominally acknowledge it and then ignore entirely.

3. Mook says that one of his top three favorite movies of all time is Good Burger, the Kenan and Kel extension from 1997.

Is it a twins thing? It has to be a twins thing, right? I admire the commitment to twin culture, and can now only assume that Marcus and Markieff do the Big Pun/Fat Joe thing at karaoke night. Did you know that Sam Taggart from Freaks and Geeks is in Good Burger? Marcus Morris is the Mondo Burger of 15th NBA roster spots.

4. Mook also says that he would've been a video game designer if he didn't make a career in basketball.

Good Burger: The Game would have gone triple-platinum on my PlayStation 2. As a kid, Mook used to wager on games of Madden for hundreds of dollars. Also, Mook says he boycotts 2K because they perennially underrate him and didn't give him a beard in earlier designs.

5. Mook is a Philadelphia Eagles fan. New Yorkers, (respectfully) boo this man!

6. Mook is willing to "lay somebody out every game" in his veteran role.

While it flew under the radar last spring, Morris had a spirited playoff stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers, starting in place of an injured Jarrett Allen and dropping 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting in the last game of the Eastern Conference semis. Perhaps it's anachronistic, but in looking at the Knicks roster before this signing, it appears they didn't have a "Bloodsport" guy.

7. Mook has been one of the nicest midrange shooters in pro basketball, as recently as the 2022-23 season.

Back then, he put up a middy FG percentage higher than the likes of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Dončić and Paul George. Last year's Knicks outfit was below average in both mid-range attempts and efficiency, which means there may be a lane for Morris' skill set, at least in that December-March stretch of the regular season.

8. Mook loves bucket hats.

His children already love bucket hats. I'm not entirely positive where the Knicks stood on total bucket hattage before this move, but I damn sure know where they are now.

9. Mook's favorite rapper is Meek Mill.

He also knows more Maroon 5 songs than he thought. Here's to someone putting him on to Cash Cobain and/or Billy Joel this fall.