LA Lakers veteran Markieff Morris has hit back at deconstruction of the team’s playoff failures.
Markieff Morris has made more appearances on First Take than he has for the LA Lakers since his trade from the Dallas Mavericks.
Morris was a throw-in as part of the controversial Luka Doncic trade that sent the Slovenian superstar to LA at midseason.
And while he was not given much chance to show out on the court for the LA Lakers, Morris is keen to defend his team when he can on TV.
Photo by Harry How/Getty ImagesMarkieff Morris on Rudy Gobert
The LA Lakers finished as the third-seed after reaching 50 wins. Their reward was a matchup in the opening playoff round against the six-seed Minnesota Timberwolves.
Minnesota were the dominant team across the series, winning 4-1, dominating a closeout Game 5.
Rudy Gobert was the hero for the Timberwolves in the deciding game, with 27 points and 24 rebounds to expose the Lakers’ complete absence of rim protection.
And this was referred to on First Take when ESPN insider Tim MacMahon referred to the Lakers’ urgent need to fix their problems.
MacMahon said: “Rudy Gobert looked like Wilt Chamberlain while bouncing the Lakers from the playoffs in Game 5 of the playoffs. There’s a glaring void in the middle of that Lakers starting lineup.
“They know it, and they absolutely have to address that this summer.”
Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka has not disputed the team’s need to fix this glaring issue, expressing his intent to do so this offseason.
But when it comes to comparisons to Wilt Chamberlain, Markieff Morris takes exception to the glowing praise of Rudy Gobert.
Morris responded: “He wasn’t looking like nothing. He had one good game that entire series.
“I don’t think he scored more than 10 points any other game that series.”
Markieff Morris is right and wrong about Rudy Gobert
Markieff Morris is not incorrect that Rudy Gobert had one good game in the Timberwolves series with the LA Lakers.
Rudy Gobert vs LALPointsReboundsAssistsGame 1261Game 2660Game 3131Game 45100Game 527240
Gobert’s Game 5 was an outlier, where he scored more points (27) than he did in his previous four games combined (14).
He also had just one fewer rebounds (24) than he did in his previous four (25).
Part of the Game 5 collapse was tactical, with JJ Redick deciding to play without a center. But there was also some positive adjustments from Minnesota coach Chris Finch.
The way Game 5 ended was crushing for the Lakers, and while Gobert’s overall impact across the five games can be disputed at an average of 8.2 points per game, there is no arguing that ultimately the Lakers fell short.