Morris twins go 13 and 14 in NBA draft

NEWARK, N.J. - The Phoenix Suns drafted North Philadelphia's Markieff Morris with the 13th overall pick of Thursday's NBA draft at the Prudential Center.

Five minutes later, Marcus Morris, Markieff's twin, went at No. 14 to the Houston Rockets.

Markieff, a 6-foot-10, 245-pound power forward out of Kansas, became the highest draft pick from Southeastern Pennsylvania since the Charlotte Bobcats took Gerald Henderson at No. 12 in 2009. Markieff averaged 13.6 points to go with 8 rebounds while earning Associated Press honorable-mention all-America honors this past season.

In Markieff, the Suns get a forward who can defend the four and five positions. He is a solid three-point shooter, a good rebounder and a solid shot-blocker.

Marcus, a a 6-foot-9, 230-pound combo forward, averaged a Kansas team-high 17 points last season and was the Big Twelve Conference player of the year.

Wanting to be looked upon as individuals - not the Morris twins - they decided to work out separately for NBA teams. As a result, oddly enought, Houston and Phoenix were the only teams for whom they worked out together.

The Morris twins, the third set of twins to be taken in the first round of the NBA draft, led Prep Charter to consecutive PIAA Class AA state championships in high school.