Marcus Morris Sr. wasn’t himself early in the Western Conference Finals.
He wasn’t moving around the court the way he typically does, and it even resulted in Ty Lue taking him out for the fourth quarter of Game 2. He was active, but only played 46 minutes for those first two games. He ended up not starting Game 3, which is most likely due to him not being 100% health-wise.
Morris looked better in Game 3, knocking down both of his three-point shots. He was limited to just 24 minutes, however, as his knee soreness still seemed to hinder his movement. In Game 4, he got the start, but received limited playing time again (just 22 minutes) and was just two of eight (zero for three from beyond the arc) for four points. The Clippers are down three games to one, and need Morris healthy and effective to come back and win this series.
Marcus Morris Sr. injury updates
Added November 9th: After returning from his knee injury for the first two games of the 2021-2022 season, Marcus Morris Sr. has now missed the next seven games due to knee problems again.
Added June 28th: Marcus Morris Sr. looked healthy in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals, and scored 22 points in 39 minutes. He was 9 of 16 from the field and two of five from three.
Marcus Morris Sr. injury history
With the series not over, it’s worth taking a look at what kind of injuries Morris has dealt with in the last several years of his career and how he’s responded to them.
Right knee soreness, December 2020
Marcus Morris ended up missing the first eight games of this season due to knee soreness as well. This isn’t his first time dealing with a problem like this.
Neck soreness, January 2020
Morris left a game in January due to neck soreness, and ended up missing five straight games due to the injury. It was not his first neck injury of that season.
Neck, December 2020
Morris’ first neck injury of the year in the 2019-2020 season cost him two missed games. It was interestingly caused by his toddler jumping on him.
Right knee soreness, December 2018
Morris truly has been plagued by knee soreness in his career, as he missed consecutive games for it in December of 2018 as well.
Hip, February 2018
Morris had a tough fall during a game on January 31st, 2018, and ended up hurting his hip in the process. He missed two consecutive games due to the injury.
Knee Discomfort, December 2017
Morris missed more time due to a knee injury towards the beginning of 2017, and missed nine games because of it.
Knee Soreness, October 2017
Again, Morris dealt with knee soreness before his aforementioned knee soreness issues in 2017, missing the first eight games of the year.
The Clippers need Morris badly if they want to pull off this comeback and go to their first-ever NBA Finals. They’ve missed Morris, and his second-highest three-point percentage in the league. He’s tough on defense as well, of course, and a healthy Morris would no doubt change this series.