Miami Heat: Markieff Morris Settling Into Role With Best Showing Yet

The Miami Heat had quite the offseason, one that featured the addition of six-time NBA All-Star and NBA Champion, Kyle Lowry. Lowry wasn’t alone though, as the Miami Heat made other key additions.

While the addition of P.J. Tucker was a double-positive, in the form of getting him for themselves and taking him away from the reigning NBA Champions, the team that knocked the Miami Heat out of last year’s postseason, and their arch-rivals in the Milwaukee Bucks, they weren’t alone in coming to Miami.

The Miami Heat also added another tough, rugged, Miami Heat-type of guy as well.

In getting Markieff Morris, they got a guy who can not only come in and be multiple for them, something to be sure that Coach Spoelstra can appreciate, but someone also capable of producing with a certain level of physicality to him and his game.

All of that was on display on Monday night against the Orlando Magic. While the kerfuffle with him and the senior Wagner brother from the Magic is one example to document, his offensive production, as a whole, is the other point of evidence there.

Miami Heat: Markieff Morris Settling Into Role With Best Showing Yet

Finishing the contest on Monday with 16 points, three rebounds, and an assist on 7-11 shooting and 1-4 from range, it seems like nothing to write home about. Well, that’s because it wouldn’t be, as a stand alone stat line.

However, in congruence with and in the context of what it means to the greater whole of this Miami Heat team, it’s massive. It all boils down to this.

There were a few reasons to bring Morris in, but one should have stood out more than any other. When thinking about The Morris Twins and even back to their days at Kansas, Markieff and his brother Marcus of the Los Angeles Clippers, they’ve always been very multiple and especially on the offensive end.

While Marcus was always the more perimeter-oriented or capable guy, it seemed, both he and his brother could both do a lot of the same things. To that same effect, Markieff always seemed like the one most comfortable in a power-player’s role, banging, being physical, and doing that sort of stuff.

Again, both of them were capable of both roles though, where Keef seemed more comfortable as a true stretch-four and Marcus has always seemed more comfortable as a true wing. The whole thing with Markieff Morris and his role with the Heat this year revolves around all that, who both of the twins are at their cores.

He was brought to Miami to, not only, be big, physical, and tough, as mentioned, but to also get buckets. For a team, especially considering the reserves, that has struggled with scoring, generally creating offense at times, and going stale at the worst possible times on offense, a guy like Markieff was needed.

Miami Heat: If Keef Can Create Looks And Hit A Few Tough Shots… Job Done

He is the type of guy that can create his own look out of thin air, for as good or bad a look as one might consider it to be. It won’t always be a great look, but like the action pitch in baseball, sometimes, it’s just about making something  happen.

That’s what Markieff can and will continue to do for the Miami Heat. When no one else can or will get a good look, find Markieff and he will… or he’ll darn sure try.

Couper Moorhead of the Miami Heat said it best here.

"Markieff Morris is never going to wow you but he’ll have these nights where he hits a 15-footer every few minutes and just being a dependable release valve carries a good chunk of value for Miami’s bench units."

Sometimes, you just need a guy who’ll put up decent to good looks. Markieff Morris can and will certainly do that.

His teammates seem to understand and appreciate that too. Here is what Bam Adebayo had to say after the game on Monday evening about the guy he calls “Megatron”.

That’s quite the high praise and especially from one of your best players, a guy you want to be more aggressive himself, and a guy who will also be tasked with continuing to do some of the heavy lifting.

Markieff Morris had himself a pretty good night on Monday and the Miami Heat certainly need him to keep it up. If he can, the bench unit becomes that much more lethal and so does the entire team.