Morris hones jumper with gum wrapper

DENVER Monte Morris restored his long-range jumper to mint condition.

The Great Spearmint Gum Wrapper Experiment worked.

Last summer, the Denver Nuggets backup point guard went through shooting drills with a wrapper from a stick of gum — mostly spearmint, he said — wedged between his thumb and index finger on his guide hand. It was a way to find a more reliable release.

Now, there’s no bursting his bubble. Morris is shooting 42.9 per cent from 3-point range for a Nuggets team that’s challenging Golden State for the top spot in the Western Conference.

“I just wanted more consistency,” Morris said. “It’s now second nature.”

A 2017 second-round pick by Denver, Morris was signed to a two-way contract last season. He spent most of his time with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA G League, where he averaged 17.8 points and shot 33 per cent from long range.

Heading into the summer, the team gave him a task: Work on his consistency from deep. He shot 38 per cent from 3-point range during his Iowa State days.

He was gung-ho — or gum-ho, in this particular case.

The gum-wrapper drill was a way to get Morris’ hand more to the side of the basketball. He would grab a stick of gum and tuck the foil in place along his left hand. Then, he’d hoist shot after shot.

“Once I got here, everybody said, ‘Can you make shots? Can you make shots?’ ” said Morris, who broke school marks for steals and assists while playing for the Cyclones. “I knew I could. I needed to add more repetition and more confidence in my game with my shot. I did that.”

He’s averaging 9.9 points and 24 minutes a game for a deep Nuggets team.

“Monte Morris has to be up for most improved player in the NBA,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “He’s been amazing this year. ... I don’t think anybody saw that happening this early in his NBA career.”