Los Angeles Lakers: 5 offseason roster moves they must make

3. Re-sign Markieff Morris

After being bought out by the Detroit Pistons in late February, the Lakers signed nine-year veteran Markieff Morris to an end-of-season contract.  While his 5.3 points and 3.2 rebounds per game with the team were not earth-shattering, his 14.2 minutes per game were important.

Morris is a 6’8″ power forward who was able to provide quality minutes while Anthony Davis sat for his rest. Prior to Morris arriving, the Lakers only had Kyle Kuzma as a back up to Davis. This totally changed their game-style when he came onto the court.

Morris was able to compete just as hard inside as Davis. This meant that opposition teams did not get a break from the Lakers down low. Morris was also reasonably efficient on the offensive end. His shooting splits were .406/.333/.833 which helped space the second unit out.

In the playoffs, Morris was even more efficient. His shooting splits of .449/.420/.778 really helped space the floor so that James and Rondo were able to take full advantage of the extra room, creating better shots for all players on the court.

Hopefully, from the Lakers’ perspective, Morris will be happy to sign on at a veteran’s minimum. It is the first time that Morris has been past the second round of the playoffs and will want to do it again.