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If there were any doubts that Markieff Morris would fit in with Heat culture, well, the 32-year-old forward smashed those worries on Monday night.
The Heat’s 107-90 win over the Orlando Magic at the FTX Arena proved to be a super physical matchup, and Morris had no time for the opposing team’s on-court altercations. When Heat reporter Will Manso asked Morris about how the game “got chippy at times,” the former first-round pick gave him a brutally honest answer.
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“We ain’t going for no b*******,” Morris said. “That’s just what it is. We know when to draw the line when it’s too much or not enough, but we ain’t going for the BS.”
Morris had the best game of his season so far against the Magic. Coming off the bench, he scored 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting in 25 minutes of play, along with three boards, one assist, one steal, and one block.
His stats are even more impressive in comparison to last season when he was playing with the Los Angeles Lakers, averaging 6.7 points and 4.4 rebounds. His career averages, however, are much more promising, scoring 11 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.
Morris Says Losing 2 Games in a Row Is ‘Not Acceptable’
Following the Heat’s 102-91 loss against the Indiana Pacers, Morris wasn’t going to let a home game loss happen.
Describing the mindset of the team going into Monday’s night’s game, “We never want to lose, and losing two in a row is not acceptable,” Morris said. “So, we came out, we fought, and played our type of basketball for four quarters, something we didn’t do in Indiana. And we want to take this momentum to Brooklyn.”
Morris, who signed a one-year, veteran’s minimum contract with the Heat during free agency, has quickly found a rhythm with his new teammates in Miami.
“We do a great job of going through the bases in practice and knowing where I’m gonna get my shots,” Morris said. “So I just continue to work on those. I’m playing with a lot of heady guys, a lot of veterans, so it’s easy for us.”
The Heat (2-1) take on James Harden, Kevin Durant, and the Nets (2-2) at the Barclays Center at 7:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday night. Brooklyn will remain without their third star, Kyrie Irving, who’s unable to play due to his refusal to get the COVID vaccine.
Bam Adebayo Calls Morris ‘Megatron’
Because of Morris’ physical nature of playing and ability to score, Heat All-Star center Bam Adebayo compares him to a character from The Transformers movies.
“At first, he didn’t understand why we call him Megatron, but now he understands it,” Adebayo said. “He’s one of those guys that you can throw it to in the mid post and expect to get a basket. And he can make plays. If you ever need five seconds or less to get a shot off, you can always throw it to Kief.”
Six-time All-Star Kyle Lowry also praised Morris’ duality on the court. “One thing about Markieff is we’re going to need him,” Lowry said, per Sun Sentinel‘s Ira Winderman. “We’re going to need him to make those mid-range jump shots, play defense, grab rebounds and be a post presence. He has the ability to score the ball.”
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