Marcus Morris Sr. hasn’t played in a game for the LA Clippers since the second game of the season.
Morris is still battling a knee injury, which goes to show just how impressive this recent Clipper run has been. The Clippers are 7-1 in their last eight games and haven’t played any of them with Morris.
Morris, however, seems to be inching closer and closer to returning in games for LA.
Marcus Morris Sr. getting some reps in pre-game pic.twitter.com/5W0LreOlVC
— Courtside Clips (@Courtside_Clips) November 12, 2021
Just this past Thursday, that video surfaced online. Morris was taking some shots, and then Andrew Greif of the LA Times dropped something he heard from Clippers Head Coach Ty Lue:
Ty Lue, speaking before Clippers/Bulls, says that there has been some progression with Marcus Morris (knee), in that he's back playing some five-on-five. Said he wasn't sure if he'll make next week's road trip.
— Andrew Greif (@AndrewGreif) November 15, 2021
Marcus Morris Sr. is clearly close to a return for the LA Clippers.
If Marcus Morris Sr. is back to playing some five-on-five basketball with the LA Clippers, his body is obviously making progress. The question is going to be whether he can up his intensity in those five-on-five workouts or not, so he can get to the point where his body will be ready to play at the level this league will demand it to in games.
The toad trip that Lue is referring to is in reference to the one starting on Thursday against the Grizzlies, and ending on Friday against the Pelicans.
The Clippers could really use Morris for those two games. No, I’m not afraid of the Grizzlies, but it’s also true that the Clippers lost to the Grizzlies early in the year in LA.
Of course, Morris was playing in that game, but the Clips are a different team since then. They’re playing with the chemistry they needed time to obtain, and this Clipper team is much better than the Grizzlies.
Now adding Morris into the lineup would put the Clippers over the top. They’d be the overwhelming favorites in that contest if Morris was 100% and ready to go.
And as for the Pelicans, I’m aware that nobody other than Houston is afraid of them. However, back-to-back games can always be tricky, leaving that game as a candidate for a trap game.
Having Morris would be so crucial to getting guys the rest that they’re going to want for a back-to-back game, because Mook Morris can play so many different positions. Even if he wasn’t healthy enough to start, he’d be able to sub in for a lot of different guys.
Morris will be back soon, and he’ll add to what’s turned out to be a pretty solid Clipper team who proved in their recent seven-game winning streak that they have what it takes to succeed this year.