Transfer Analysis: Aneesah Morrow adds new element to LSU
The Tigers added another dynamic transfer, this time in forward Aneesah Morrow on Friday afternoon, further reloading after their title run and building one of the most exciting teams in college basketball.
Morrow joins a star-studded roster of Angel Reese, Hailey Van Lith, Flau’Jae Johnson, Mikaylah Williams, and several more talented players, putting LSU as the very early favorites to win the 2024 national title just a month after the 2023 season ended. The transfer forward spent two years at DePaul surpassing 20 points per game both as a freshman and sophomore. This past season, she was named a third-team All-American after averaging 25.7 points and 12.2 rebounds per game.
Let’s take a deeper look at her game, what she brings to Baton Rouge, and how she fits in this roster.
Elite scoring prowess
Turn on the tape, check the stats, Morrow’s biggest strength is her ability to put the ball in the basket. After shooting 52 percent from the field as a freshman, she shouldered an incredible amount of the offensive load this year, pushing down her efficiency to 42.5 percent.
Morrow ended the year with a ridiculous 37.6 usage percentage, which ranked top six in the country, even higher than Caitlin Clark from Iowa. Obviously, that will change this year.
Looking closer at her offensive game, she has tremendous feel around the rim, posts up well, and has developed a really reliable jump shot. The mid-range jumper is excellent. She can turn and face and release with ease over defenders.
She expanded to 3-point range this past season, but at times got a bit too comfortable shooting from deep, attempting 6.3 per game. On an offense built around her, she had to force up a lot of shots, ending the year shooting 25.4 percent from deep. With more talent around her, I can easily see her being more efficient and shooting in the 33-35 percent range this season.
Overall, I love her versatility at 6-foot-1. She’s a natural scorer and will provide a very different element for LSU on offense.
Rebounding
I was curious how a player posted over 12 rebounds per game in back-to-back seasons at 6-foot-1. The results were mixed. As a defensive rebounder, she’s elite at boxing out and getting position. She extends well for the ball with long arms that make up for some of her height. She ended last year with a 26.7 defensive rebounding percentage, No. 31 in the country. Then, similar to Angel Reese, when she gets it, she can put it on the floor and push.
Her offensive rebounding is solid. Having Reese and others next to her will open up that avenue more this season because teams aren’t solely focused on boxing her out. Also, she won’t be shooting 25 times per game. The motor is evident in plays like this.
Playing for Kim Mulkey at LSU will require a different level of physicality than what was asked of her last year. Still, she’s a really impressive rebounder with the potential to hunt the ball even better with Mulkey coaching her. The numbers will dip alongside Reese, but the impact will still be tangible.
Defensive potential
Similar to her rebounding, I think Morrow can be even better on defense and she’s already really good. Coming off of a season where she averaged 2.6 steals and 1.3 blocks per game, Morrow’s instincts, length, and strength all showed as she held her own on a below average DePaul defense.
I love her ability to read the court and play the passing lanes. She’s deceptively quick and gets her hands on a lot of deflections. On a team that allowed over 70 points per game, her motor fluctuated, but that’s not a surprise. She was caught flat-footed at times. With the offensive load she had to carry, being a lockdown defender wasn’t the top of her priority, but at LSU I think she can become a really high-level defensive player under Mulkey.
Her ability to score is what makes her an all-american, but realizing her defensive potential is what can make her a champion.
Overall fit
As the presumed starter next to Reese in the frontcourt, this gives the Tigers a very different 4-5 combination than last year. Next to LaDahzia Williams, Reese didn’t have to defend opposing centers as much and at times had size advantages on offense.
However, the spacing and scoring ability of Morrow opposite of Reese opens up the court in ways last year’s team never had the ability to. We already know about Hailey Van Lith and Mikaylah Williams’ 3-point shooting prowess, but adding Morrow to the mix will put this offense on a level that few teams in the country can slow down.
We know how Mulkey teams are ran: Defense and rebounding first and foremost. While Morrow and Reese aren’t the biggest duo Mulkey has had in the post, bringing S’Myah Smith and Aalyah Del Rosario off the bench cures any concerns about size entering the season. The Tigers still have two more roster spots available if they want to further address the front court for this season.
I love this fit for Morrow and LSU. Now Mulkey has all the scoring options she could want in a team.
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