Former Clipper takes subtle shot at Kawhi Leonard
By Will Eudy
When the LA Clippers made their trade to acquire James Harden, they were forced to make some difficult choices. To bring in the three-time scoring champion, LA had to give up several established role players that had been with the organization for multiple seasons.
Many fans were disappointed to see Nic Batum, Robert Covington, KJ Martin and Marcus Morris go. But one of these four players arguably made less sense to keep around in the long-term: Marcus Morris.
His role with the team had already been dwindling toward the end of last season, and reports revealed that Morris had expressed his dissatisfaction with his role to Clippers staff. All those factors should make it no surprise that Morris recently appeared to take a subtle shot at Kawhi Leonard.
Marcus Morris took a subtle shot at Kawhi Leonard
In speaking about his new teammate Joel Embiid, Morris had exceptionally high praise for the reigning MVP. "He actually puts his body on the line every night flying and trying to get blocks, rebounds, just being available every night," said Morris. "He's definitely the best player that I've been around."
Some may think that Morris may have momentarily forgotten about some of his other great teammates from the past when saying this. But he intentionally mentioned his former Clippers teammates as well, almost as if to emphasize his point.
"I've been around a lot of guys. The Kawhis, the PGs, the James Hardens, and the Kyries," Morris said. "I don't think I've been around a player like (Embiid) before. Just straight dominant in all areas of the court and defensively, too."
This is quite a statement from Marcus Morris, and may make fans wonder if this is his resentment for the Clippers speaking. His references to Embiid "putting his body on the line" and "being available every night" can hardly be anything but direct callouts to the oft-injured Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
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Morris' direct reference to his former teammates in LA and implying that a player of Kawhi's caliber is not also "straight dominant in all areas" only serves to further support this theory. It certainly seems that he is still holding onto some bitterness from his time with the Clippers.
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