UPDATE 7/22/2020:
The Lakers say Markieff Morris has cleared quarantine and should join the Lakers in the NBA bubble.
— Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) July 23, 2020
It has now been reported (first by Kyle Goon of the OC Register) that Markieff Morris has successfully cleared quarantine and will be joining the Lakers soon. The news is very refreshing to hear, as there was no guarantees to Morris’ health status as it pertains to COVID-19 as he has not been within the bubble like the Lakers. Either way, it’s good to know that Morris was able to stay safe outside of the bubble, and that he will be able to join the Lakers as scrimmages kick-off today.
UPDATE 7/21/2020:
After an excused absence saw Markieff Morris miss the first week or so of the Lakers’ practices in the bubble, it is being reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic that Morris will be arriving to Orlando today.
Lakers‘ Markieff Morris is en route shortly to Orlando to join the team for NBA restart, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 21, 2020
Dave McMenamin of ESPN notes that Morris will have to clear quarantine before he is able to practice with the Lakers, so it may be a few days before he sees his first practice with the team in the bubble.
Original story:
Over the past few days, it has become apparent that a member of the Lakers was missing from the Orlando bubble (h/t Silver Screen & Roll), as many Lakers had already been caught by photographers or caught in other player’s Instagram stories. That player was Markieff Morris, who was acquired right before the trade deadline and the initial outbreak of COVID-19 in America in March.
Frank Vogel was asked today if Morris was in Orlando practicing with the team, a question which Vogel declined to answer (reported by Tania Ganguli of the LA Times). More light has been shed about the situation (sort of), by way of Kyle Goon of the OC Register.
Markieff Morris has an excused absence from the Lakers at the moment but is expected to join them soon for the restart at Disney, according to a source.
— Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) July 15, 2020
We shouldn’t speculate too much on what the reason may be, but it’s at least a good sign that he is expected to join soon. This most likely means that he hasn’t contracted COVID-19, and if he did, he’s far enough along in his recovery that he is able to return.
Last time we saw Markieff Morris as a part of the Lakers, he had just finished only his eighth game with the team. In those eight games, he averaged 14.8 minutes, 4.8 points, and 3.3 rebounds per game. He figures to be a player who can play decent defense and hit some threes for the Lakers in a small role.
Although he was only recently added by the Lakers, it never hurts to have a tall wing who can somewhat reliably hit threes. Vogel and the rest of the squad are probably eager to get him in Orlando to practice with everyone.
