The Los Angeles Lakers finally made an addition to their roster after a number of buyout market players went elsewhere by signing Markieff Morris.
In Morris, the Lakers get a big wing capable of shooting the three and defending multiple positions and did it without having to give up any assets in a trade.
Morris already has one game under his belt with the Lakers and got 15 minutes in the win against the New Orleans Pelicans.
As Morris gets more comfortable with the system, he’ll likely increase his playing time. Morris is a 39.3 percent three-point shooter during the 2019-20 NBA season and believes he’ll be a perfect fit for Los Angeles.
Morris spoke about what he can bring to the Lakers in a championship-contending season prior to his debut with the team.
“For me personally, I’m just trying to be the X-factor as needed,” Morris said of his role. “Whatever’s needed out of me, I want to provide.”
When asked what specifically he can bring to the team, Morris gave a confident answer.
“I feel like I can bring everything. We have a lot of guys, a lot of versatility, I could just be one of the guys in the mix playing the four or the five,” Morris said discussing where he fits in the rotation. “We can play smaller and [Kyle Kuzma] can play at his natural position at the three a little bit more. Just giving us more lineups to use.”
Morris largely played at power forward alongside Anthony Davis. His best spot in the rotation will likely be in this exact situation in the team’s non-LeBron James minutes. A lineup of Davis, Morris, Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Alex Caruso could do some damage on both ends of the floor.
It may take a little bit of time before head coach Frank Vogel figures out exactly how to use Morris in the 2020 NBA playoffs, especially once the rotations shrink to eight or nine players. However, it seems pretty clear that Morris will be a part of what the Lakers do moving forward.
