Getty Former Los Angeles Lakers forward Markieff Morris.
One of the best moves the Los Angeles Lakers made during their 2019-2020 championship season was picking up Markieff Morris on the buyout market. He was a key contributor for the team in the playoffs, including a 19 point performance in a Game 3 win over the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals. He was brought back to the team last season and saw his minute increase from 14.2 minutes a game to 19.7 minutes a game.
Even though the Lakers used him more last season, they didn’t bring him back. He ended up signing with the Heat in the offseason and appears happy to have another fresh start. In a recent interview, Morris made some comments that some may interpret as shade towards his former team.
“I see myself as a guy that I can get back to my old self, just playing the game the right way, not having to look over my shoulder,” Morris told the Sun Sentinel. “I feel like we have nobody on the team like just, ‘give him the ball, and then everybody just watch and let them make the play.’ It’s a collective.
“We’re going to need everybody to score and rebound and defend every night. And that’s the best team to be on, when you don’t have to run to the corner every play and wait for a guy to make a play for you.”
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Morris Has Chance to Clarify
Obviously, Morris believes that he can play in a different style with the Heat than he did with the Lakers. He was clearly referencing playing with LeBron James and Anthony Davis with the previous comments. However, Morris took to Twitter to clarify his comments and state that he wasn’t trying to throw shade.
His comments were mild so he wasn’t taken a harsh shot at the Lakers or anything. He won his first championship with the team and that will hold a special place in his heart. There’s no reason for him to be throwing shade right now.
Rob Pelinka Believes Lakers Players Willing to Sacrifice for Betterment of Team
The Lakers have constructed their roster with a number of current and former stars. With so many big names on the team, not everybody will have a big role every night. Luckily, general manager Rob Pelinka believes that everybody is on the same page.
“There’s a palpable feeling, there’s a palpable taste in your mouth that when this group of guys is in the gym, or around each other, there’s a respect for, ‘Hey, we have a chance to do something special this year, and we all have to make sacrifices to get there,’” Pelinka said Thursday. “And I think this group shares that common belief in the assumption that sacrifices will have to be made, but there’s something greater that we can accomplish.”
The Lakers will need to remain selfless if this experiment is going to work. It’s a lot easier to make that happen when competing for a championship.
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