Los Angeles Lakers: 3 reasons why re-signing Markieff Morris is key

3. Markieff Morris is a versatile defender

The two most important reasons that the Los Angeles Lakers won the title were 1) the dominance of both of their superstars and 2) the stifling defense they played throughout all four playoff rounds.

For the most part, Markieff Morris is a slightly below-average defender. He is neither an elite defensive stopper nor a first-rate rim protector. However, he holds his own in the post and does a pretty good job defending on the perimeter.

More importantly, Morris is a good team defender and was a valuable contributor to the Lakers postseason defense. When the Lakers switched on all pick and rolls, he did a credible job shifting over to a smaller attacker. And when the team wanted either Davis or James to fight around picks to continue to defend Jimmy Butler, Morris stayed attached to the screener.

He was also a factor when used to double-team an opposing player. His size made it difficult to find the open man. And he was quick enough to retreat back when that was prudent.

Morris can guard both 4’s and 5’s reasonably effectively. Throughout the postseason, Coach Frank Vogel took advantage of the team’s defensive versatility, and he could count on Morris to fulfill his role satisfactorily.

Rob Pelinka will have a challenging time filling the Lakers roster this offseason. In addition to the free agents, at least three players, Davis, Rondo and KCP, have indicated they will not exercise their player options, so they too will become unrestricted free agents.

Pelinka will have to get quite creative to re-sign everyone. He will likely have to determine which players are most important. Obviously AD is the top priority, and all indications are he will stay with the team. But none of the others are as certain.

The bad news is that the Lakers are over the cap and can’t offer as much money as some other teams can. That leaves them vulnerable to losing players.

But the good news is that most if not all the more important Lakers free agents would like to return if possible. Additionally, the salary cap will almost certainly decrease which means there aren’t many teams that can offer lucrative contracts. And few of the ones that can are projected to be contenders next season.

Markieff Morris was a welcome addition to the Lakers. Hopefully, both sides can reach an agreement on a new deal.