Ever since Markieff Morris was a late lottery pick himself, he's been gifting the Phoenix Suns the same lottery pick over and over... and over again.
Like Groundhog Day.
- In 2011, Markieff Morris was the 13th overall pick.
- In the four full seasons Morris played power forward for the Suns, they missed the playoffs and earned the right to pick: 12th, 5th, 14th and 13th.
- When they acquired his twin brother for an early second-round pick in 2013, they brought in... you guessed it: a late lotto pick who was 14th overall in 2011.
- And now that he's been traded to the Washington Wizards, he will return the Suns.... drum roll please... another late lottery pick! The Wizards are almost certain to miss the playoffs this year, leaving the Suns with a pick somewhere between 12th-14th this June.
All tolled, Markieff Morris is directly responsible for SIX late lottery picks just SIX years.
As many know, an NBA team picking in the late lottery is an NBA team stuck on the perpetual treadmill of mediocrity. You're not getting playoff experience, and you're not getting high enough picks to vault you into the playoffs next season.
You're stuck.
Let's hope Markieff Morris took his late-lotto luck to Washington with him. So far, so good. The Wizards have gone 12-11 with Morris in the rotation and will miss the playoffs for the first time in three years.