Heat’s Markieff Morris on aftermath of Nikola Jokic run-in: ‘At times, doubt crept in’
Markieff Morris remembers what it felt like.
The Miami Heat veteran forward remembers what it felt like to see his reputation and character questioned on social media in the wake of his Nov. 8 run-in with Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic. He remembers doubting whether he would play again this season. He even remembers his foul that helped spark the whole thing.
“It’s hard because fans sometimes, they don’t understand,” Morris said, with the Eastern Conference-leading Heat in the middle of another two-day break before closing its season-long seven-game homestand on Friday against the Oklahoma City Thunder (8 p.m., Bally Sports Sun). “They just see one thing and they’re just like, ‘Yo, he’s a bad guy because he fouled.’ Or, ‘You hit him in his side. Why would you turn your back?’ My thing is y’all don’t understand because you’re not out there. “
Jokic shoved Morris to the court from behind in retaliation to a hard foul late in the Heat’s 113-96 November loss to the Nuggets in Denver.
Morris, 32, missed the next 58 games because of the effects from the shove as he waited for the NBA to clear him before returning in Saturday’s loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The whiplash injury stemming from the incident combined with a previous neck injury complicated the situation.
“At times, doubt crept in,” Morris said when asked if there was ever a point he thought he wouldn’t return this season. “It probably wasn’t until January when the doubt crept in because it was just so long and there were a bunch of things happening that didn’t go as planned. So that kind of was the only time that I had a little bit of doubt creep in. Other than that, if you ask me personally, I already knew that I would come back to play. It was more so not a matter of if, it was a matter of when.”
The Heat never cleared Morris to play in part because of liability concerns if he has another neck injury, instead asking the NBA to address the issue through a panel that consists of three physicians who determine if players are allowed to be medically cleared to return to games. The panel ruled that he could play.
In Tuesday’s 105-98 win over the Detroit Pistons at FTX Arena, Morris played in his second game since returning. He has immediately been added to the Heat’s bench rotation, finishing the victory with nine points on 3-of-6 shooting from the field and 1-of-2 shooting on threes and four rebounds in 17 minutes as a reserve.
“At the end of the day, some of the stuff you just got to deal with on your own to figure out who you are,” Morris said of his four months away. “Me personally, I know who I am. That’s why I never stopped working. I knew that I would get back and play. I knew this was just another little hiccup.”
But the back and forth between fans on social media made it difficult for Morris to completely move past the incident, with Nuggets fans defending Jokic’s shove and Heat fans defending Morris’ hard foul. Jokic’s brothers, Strahinja and Nemanja, even created a Twitter account shortly after the skirmish and wrote to Morris’ twin brother, Marcus Morris, as they each defended their brothers.
“There’s some things that happen on the court that are between players and there’s respect between the lines,” Morris said of his foul that led to Jokic’s shove. “I fouled because I’m a hard-nosed player. I’m not giving up anything for free. I’m not fouling to try to hurt somebody. I’ve never been that guy. I got nothing but the utmost respect from players. They all know that. If I wanted to foul and hurt somebody, I would have done that.
“That’s my whole thing with the back and fourth. Y’all don’t understand. Anybody says, ‘You’re a punk.’ I know who I am and I know damn well nobody is going to tell me that to my face. That’s what social media is, it gives a voice to the voiceless.”
After months of working toward a return and trying to convince others he was healthy enough to play, Morris is now making his case for a consistent role in the Heat’s rotation. Morris has totaled 15 points while shooting 6 of 13 from the field and 1 of 4 from three-point range, eight rebounds and two assists in 34 minutes off the bench in two games since he was recently medically cleared.
Morris’ versatility has been on display at 6-9 and 245 pounds. He has already played as a forward alongside centers Bam Adebayo and Dewayne Dedmon, but he has also been used as the center in a frontcourt alongside P.J. Tucker in his first two games since returning.
“He’s a facsimile of how we play with Bam,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of Morris. “There’s like a confidence and kind of a stability knowing that we can play the same game. ... That’s really a credit to all the work that he’s put in behind the scenes. His conditioning is there. It’s not the same as live 5-on-5, but he’s able to play 15 to 18 to 20 minutes pretty hard and then he’s doing it on both ends. I’m really encouraged by that.”
While the Heat is taking a patient approach with Victor Oladipo after he returned last week following 11 months away, Morris is not willing to take it slow. Morris feels a sense of urgency with only 12 games and less than a month left in the regular season.
“I’m not being patient,” Morris said. “I prepared myself so when I was ready to be called on, I would be ready to play. I didn’t sit, I didn’t gain any weight. My body fat stayed the same and my weight was actually lower. I prepared myself so patience wouldn’t be needed. Just get back out there and do what I’ve been doing.”
BUTLER’S INJURY
Heat star Jimmy Butler did not play in the second half of Tuesday’s win over the Pistons because of a sprained right ankle. He tweaked his ankle on a drive to the basket midway through the second quarter and remained in the game to finish the first half before sitting out the second half.
“He tweaked his ankle. We’ll see how he feels tomorrow,” Spoelstra said following Tuesday’s victory.
The Heat was off Wednesday, but is expected to practice on Thursday at FTX Arena.
▪ The Heat will honor Chris Bosh’s induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame during Friday’s home game against the Thunder. Bosh, obviously, is expected to be in attendance.
This story was originally published March 16, 2022 at 1:01 PM.
