The Los Angeles Lakers trading for Luka Doncic was a shock to everyone, including the players that were involved in the deal.
Doncic wasn’t the only player the Lakers acquired as they also brought in Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris in the blockbuster trade. Morris, of course, is a familiar face in L.A. after spending two seasons with the team, including in 2020 when they won the championship.
At this stage of his career, Morris doesn’t play much but still is a valuable piece to a roster as a veteran presence in the locker room. With that, LeBron James is happy to be reunited with Morris on the Lakers again, via Dan Woike of the L.A. Times:
“I missed him,” LeBron James told The Times. “…We’ve been in the foxhole together. We’ve been on the floor during big games together. And there’s someone whose opinion I value very much when I come off the floor. He’s watching it. He’s seeing it. I’m just happy to have him back. It’s great to see him.”
There aren’t many veterans left in the NBA that call fill a role like Morris where they aren’t playing much but still need to be bought in. Jared Dudley was a great example of that on the 2019-20 Lakers. James feels those players are a dying breed but still provide value to teams:
“Obviously our league is trying to get away from having guys like that around,” James said. “Like the vets, that means something to a team.”
Having been in the league for 14 years and playing with a variety of star players, Morris is not afraid to say anything to anyone, including James:
“[LeBron] needs help, too. Everybody just think he knows everything,” Morris said. “Yeah, he knows the game a lot, but for him, he can use a guy that’s, ‘Yo, did you see that right there? You can do this.’ Yeah, and that’s me. I can say, ‘Look. Bron, get your ass back. Look, you got to run back too.’”
Even though he is not getting regular playing time, Morris is showing he is a crucial piece of this Lakers roster for the rest of the season. With an upcoming playoff run, having that veteran presence is necessary and is much-needed for a Lakers team that has a lot of personalities for first-year coach JJ Redick to manage.
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