At 22-18, the Suns are right in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race. Markieff Morris and Marcus Morris have been integral parts of that relative success, despite the fact that they’ve both had moments that left us scratching our heads. Instead of lambasting them for letting their emotions get the best of them, I’ve recently suggested it’s exactly that energy that makes the team special, as long as it can be channeled.

No two players embody that tenet more than the twins out of Philadelphia, the 6-foot-10 Markieff and the 6-foot-9 Marcus — the Morris Twins.

The brothers are volatile, vociferous and downright cantankerous at times. You don’t have to be a body language expert to know that they don’t want to answer questions every night in the locker room (you’ll have to take my word for that). That’s not to say they’re crossing into Marshawn Lynch territory, but that’s another story for another day.

On the outside, those traits look like a big detriment to the team. When one picks up an ill-advised technical arguing over his brother’s non-foul call, it looks like a brain fart that will one day lose the Suns a close game. While that’s proven to be true (see: Spurs loss, January 9th), it’s also a very superficial way to look at it.

What makes a teammate? Was Charles Barkley a great teammate because he carried the Suns to the cusp of a championship? Should we consider Steve Nash a great teammate because he elevated the careers of numerous role players? How about someone like Raja Bell, the hard-nosed player with a chip on his shoulder that would have your back at all times? It would be great to have a combination of those guys, but I’d also love a billion dollars — and that’s not happening.

So what, then, should we value in teammates and how do we quantify the kind of assets that the Morris Twins bring to the Suns table?

LOYALTY

Carmelo Anthony (7) and Phoenix Suns forward Marcus Morris (15) and forward Markieff Morris (11) battle for positioning during the second quarter at US Airways Center. Mandatory Credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports

Think of your best friend in the whole world and what they mean to you. They’re loyal to a fault, having your back in every single situation, whether you’re right or wrong. In private, they may challenge you and frustrate you to no end — but in public, they’re at your side and will defend you tirelessly.

Isn’t that what we want out of our teammates? Don’t we want guys on the bench who are going to fight for us at every turn? Shouldn’t we be happy that guys are so invested in the success of others on the team that they get outraged when their brother — literal or figurative — is wronged by the referee or other team?

That’s what the Morris Twins bring — a closeness that only brothers can understand. That aura and that attitude are infectious. It’s a big reason why general manager Ryan McDonough agreed to sign both of the brothers to long-term contracts, because the whole is greater than the sum of it’s parts.

A BIT OF AN EDGE

The Suns have been trending away from the late 2000’s label of “soft” that they earned, as a regular season juggernaut that couldn’t get it done during the more physical postseason. Fair or not, it was true — the Suns wanted to play a style akin to 4-on-4 hockey, where the court was wide open and offense came easy.

They knew this was going to be a problem, too — which is why they tried to have guys like the aforementioned Bell, Matt Barnes and Shaquille O’Neal provide more toughness. Unfortunately, the chemistry never came together and there was no shaking the style of play that made them the “Anna Kournikova” of the basketball world — beautiful and fun to watch, but never at the top of their respective sport.

Things have been changing in the desert. Goran Dragic isn’t looked at like a badass by any means, but he’s one of the toughest players in the league. I’d wager he hits the floor as many times per game as anyone in basketball. Eric Bledsoe is as fierce and physical as they come, a bulldog who should be considered elite. P.J. Tucker makes his living playing nasty, doing the little things his team needs to win. Alex Len shies away from no contact and has his own aggressive streak in him.

This Suns team isn’t going to have an All-NBA first team selection. They may get shut out of the All-Star game. But, they play with an energy and edge that is nearly unmatched in the NBA. Yes, Markieff leads the league in technicals with nine, with Marcus tied for ninth with five. Some see that as a sign of being unable to control emotions, and that’s not entirely incorrect — this video below shows Markieff getting baited into a tech.

What I’m proposing is this — instead of focusing on a situation where Markieff was obviously not thinking clearly enough to stay out of J.R. Smith‘s trap, let’s consider the further reaching effects of that game within the game, when these dustups have bigger implications.

Remember this game in Detroit?

That’s Kentavious Caldwell-Pope jawing with Markieff. For those that don’t remember how this one played out, Caldwell-Pope had an open 3-pointer at the buzzer after Morris rejected Brandon Jennings‘ attempt. Kentavious missed badly, which elicited a funny reaction from Markieff, when he said, “KCP got it and you know he doesn’t have any heart so we knew he was going to miss it.”

As a fan, I love that kind of swagger from my team. As a teammate, I want to be on a team confident enough to provide bulletin board material for the opposition. Some call it irrational confidence or “fake-tough,” but I call it swagger — and the Twins have it in spades.

THEY CAN PLAY, TOO

All of that sounds great, having a loyal backer who talks a big game and is willing to do the dirty work…but any old Joe who grew up in North Philly can provide that. You also have to be able to produce on the court. The Morris Twins have been doing their part:

Neither of the Twins need to be the first option. On a team like the Suns that has one or more of Dragic, Bledsoe and Isaiah Thomas on the court, that’s extremely important. On the outside, it may seem like the point guards dominate the touches and get the most attempts — but you’d be mistaken.

Markieff’s usage rate (22.6) is actually higher than Dragic (21.5). Markieff takes more shots per 100 possessions (20.6) than Dragic (19.4) or Bledsoe (18.8). His raw stats aren’t special, but they’re solid — which is why he’s valuable to the team, but doesn’t get the recognition nationally that he deserves. Check out Markieff’s 26-point, 10-rebound performance in a win at Milwaukee from January 6th:

Matt Petersen over at Suns.com wrote a piece talking about another underrated aspect of Markieff’s game — his clutch game. Matt mentions that in one-possession games with less than two minutes, Markieff is seventh in the NBA in total points and first in efficiency, going 12-for-18 during that time.

If forced to choose, Marcus is the less complete player and doesn’t get as many minutes, as he was replaced in the starting lineup earlier in the year. However, he’s the team’s leading 3-point shooter in terms of percentage (.396), beating out Thomas (.391) and Tucker (.389). He’s slid into the Channing Frye role of keeping the floor spaced and made it easier for the Suns to move Anthony Tolliver, paving the way for Brandan Wright.

The Morris Twins make highlights — some good, some bad — but they’re invaluable because of the intangibles they bring to the Suns. Their vicious loyalty, toughness and basketball skill bring more to the team than the stat sheet will ever show — which is why we should embrace them, encourage them and accept them for who they are.