Miami Heat forward Markieff Morris has missed nearly three months after getting hit with a cheap shot from Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic. Now there is reason to doubt Morris’ availability for the rest of the season too.
Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported on Saturday that Morris wants to play after 43 games missed and counting but that the Heat still have not cleared him to do so. Without mentioning specifics, Jackson added that the team has concerns that are “significant enough” to make them uneasy about clearing Morris to play at this point due to potential liability issues.
The report also notes that Morris previously missed time when he was with the Washington Wizards in 2019 because of a bout with neck and upper back stiffness. At the time, he was diagnosed with transient cervical neurapraxia and missed six weeks of action.
You can read more details about cervical neurapraxia as well as about Morris’ current situation with the Heat in Jackson’s full article here.
If you recall from the Heat-Nuggets game on Nov. 8, Jokic took a vicious shot to Morris’ back and neck area after Morris gave him a shot to the ribs (video here). Despite Morris’ lengthy absence, Miami is still second in the East at 33-20. That means that the risk when it comes to clearing Morris might greatly outweigh the reward right now.
