Los Angeles Lakers forward Markieff Morris came into the Orlando bubble Tuesday, and now he is all set for action.
According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, Morris cleared quarantine and is able to participate in team activities as of Thursday afternoon. It is unclear whether Morris will play in the Lakers’ scrimmage Thursday against the Dallas Mavericks. The two teams are set to tip-off at 7 p.m. ET, and the game will be televised on NBA TV.
Morris was not initially in the bubble because of an excused absence. As the Lakers prepare for a championship run, Morris will be a key reserve.
He hasn’t played much with Los Angeles, as he signed with the team shortly before the shutdown. Morris has played in eight games with the Lakers, scoring 4.8 points a game and 38.9% from the field.
He was on the Detroit Pistons before coming to the Lakers, and there he averaged 11.0 points per game on 45.0% shooting in 44 games. The drop off can mostly be attributed to Morris still needing to get acclimated to his fairly new teammates.
Still, considering he hasn’t had much time with the Lakers, that could be a detriment to him and the team. The Lakers don’t have a big-time scorer besides LeBron James and Anthony Davis, so a collective scoring effort from the bench will be needed to achieve success in Orlando.
Morris will need to do his part, with Kyle Kuzma being the other forward off the bench. Morris has career averages of 11.5 points a game, 5.4 rebounds a game and a 44.8% field goal percentage.
