Getty Oklahoma City Thunder forward Markieff Morris
The Oklahoma City Thunder were expected to be one of the frontrunners for free agent forward Markieff Morris. On Thursday ahead of the team’s final game before the NBA All-Star break, they received some good news on the former Washington Wizards forward. While there was plenty of competition for Morris, he’s chosen to head to Oklahoma City to team up with Russell Westbrook and Paul George.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania first reported the news while citing that there were a number of teams, including the Houston Rockets, Toronto Raptors and Brooklyn Nets, interested in Morris.
Let’s take a look at the Thunder roster and starting lineup following the signing which should provide a nice boost to the frontcourt down the homestretch of the season.
Thunder Roster & Starting Lineup With Markieff Morris
*Notates expected starter
C: Steven Adams*, Nerlens Noel
PF: Jerami Grant*, Markieff Morris, Patrick Patterson, Donte Grantham, Richard Solomon
SF: Paul George*, Abdel Nader, Deonte Burton
SG: Terrance Ferguson*, Hamidou Diallo, Scotty Hopson, Andre Roberson
PG: Russell Westbrook*, Dennis Schroder, Raymond Felton
Although Morris may push for a decent number of minutes, it’ll be interesting to see if Billy Donovan opts to start him or leave Jerami Grant in his current starting role. Grant has played well this season and has averaged over 14.0 points in each of the past two months. Through five games in the month of February, he’s tallied 14.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.0 block and 1.0 steal per game while shooting 55.3 percent from the field.
Morris was in his fourth season with the Wizards and had averaged 26.0 minutes over 34 games while drawing 15 starts. Over that stretch, he posted 11.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and shot 43.6 percent from the field. His field goal percentage was the lowest it had been since joining Washington, as he’s connected on 45.7 percent or better in the three other seasons.
Markieff Morris’ Neck Injury
Back in early January, it was revealed that Morris would miss at least six weeks due to a neck injury. He remained sidelined as the trade deadline approached, and the Wizards opted to move him to the New Orleans Pelicans. Shortly after that deal, the Pelicans waived Morris and this set him up to sign with whichever team he chose.
As seen above, the 29-year-old had quite a few potential suitors, and the Los Angeles Lakers had also been linked as a potential landing spot. In the end, Morris seemed to pick a team where he should receive decent playing time and the chance to make a run at an NBA title this season if things go well.
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