LA Clippers: 3 players that will benefit from Kawhi Leonard and Paul George’s absence
1. Marcus Morris
Is there any doubt that Marcus Morris will be the biggest beneficiary of the two stars not playing?
Coming off a fresh new deal with the team, Morris missed the team’s first eight games. He returned, albeit in a new role off the bench due to Nicolas Batum’s success with the starting lineup. Tuesday night, however, he’ll be beside Batum and likely the main focal point of the starting unit’s offense.
This isn’t foreign territory to Morris. Last season before being traded to the Clippers, Morris was the New York Knicks’ best player. When he was their number one option, Morris averaged career-high scoring with 19.6 points per game. The Clips will need that kind of production out of him if they plan to stay competitive and maybe even steal a few of these games.
While Morris’ stats are up this season from his 19 regular season games with the Clippers last season, he is one of the least talked about players on this roster. It’s fair, given how he has moved to the bench but this time should serve him well.
At some point, Nicolas Batum will probably come back down to earth and Morris may earn himself the closing spot at the four position. Much like Kennard, he can take this expanded role and prove just how good he is and why the team extended him this offseason.
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