Playing for town rivals LA Lakers and LA Clippers, the Morris brothers could together set up a mouthwatering family clash in the Western Conference Finals.
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Marcus Morris and Markieff Morris’s bond goes even deeper than usual for twin brothers. The duo played together through school, AAU and college before getting drafted one after the other in the 2011 NBA draft. Markieff went 13th to the Phoenix Suns, while Marcus went 14th to the Rockets.
Marcus and Markieff Morris are scarily identical. Same tatts and everything
— Rich (@richarnelc) August 19, 2020
Morris brothers at Phoenix Suns
Marcus was reunited with his twin brother when the Rockets dealt him to the Suns at the trade deadline in 2013. The duo became the first pair of twin brothers to start for the same franchise less than a month later. Their careers took a turn for the better in 2013-14 as the Suns won 48 games.
The twin brothers negotiated a first-of-its-kind contract with the Phoenix Suns in 2014 – $52 million for the duo combined. This was at least $20 million less than what they could have gotten if they’d tested the market and signed individual contracts. But money wasn’t the foremost thing on their minds as they looked forward to a career together.
However, things took a turn for the worse after the 2014-15 season. Suns owner Robert Sarver wished to pursue LaMarcus Aldridge as a free agent. To clear their wage bill, he shipped off Marcus, Reggie Bullock and Danny Granger to the Pistons. This move came a cropper as they failed to land Aldridge and caught flak from players across the NBA instead.
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The separation for Marcus and Markeiff Morris
Despite their separation since then – Mook and Kieff haven’t played on the same team in more than 5 years – they do their best to support each other. Kieff, who was traded to the Wizards in 2016, turned up in Celtics colours to support his brother in hometown Philadelphia during the 2018 playoffs.
Despite all of these things in common, there are certain things that are different about the duo. Marcus is the better shooter, having the softer touch from range. Markieff is the more versatile player, able to play as a small-ball center when asked. Both of them are pretty good post players.
Fate makes Morris brothers rivals in LA
Their destinies are set to become intertwined again this postseason. Marcus Morris, who was having a career season with the Knicks, was traded by them to the Clippers. Markieff, bought out by the Pistons, signed with the Lakers after seeing his brother sign with the Inglewood-based team.
The brothers share the same house, and have even carpooled to the Lakers-Clippers match together. Marcus is a starter for the Clippers ever since signing, occupying the power forward slot. Markieff, meanwhile is a crucial bench player in the power forward/center role.
The Lakers are the #1 seed. They are slated to reach the Conference Finals if they beat the Blazers and the victor of the Rockets-Thunder series. The Clippers could be their opponents at that stage if they manage to get past the Mavs and the winner of the Jazz-Nuggets series.
The presence of twins on opposing benches would add to the intrigue of a prospective series which already has so many fascinating storylines to it.
