Marcus Morris blames Joe Ingles for injuring Kawhi Leonard in 2021 playoffs: "I felt like it was a cheap shot in a cheap manner"
Marcus Morris has blamed Joe Ingles for injuring Kawhi Leonard in the 2021 NBA playoffs. Leonard missed all of last season while recovering from surgery to repair a partially torn ACL in his right knee.
In a news conference this week, Morris commented on Leonard's knee injury that the LA Clippers are continuing to manage this season. He believes that Ingles' foul on Leonard caused the injury. He called the bump a cheap shot because Ingles didn't go after the ball.
"For him to go out in such a... I felt like it was a cheap shot but, you know, such a cheap manner," Morris said. "I think that's what hurt the most. A non-competitive play. He's in great spirits. I know he's happy to be out there."
Kawhi Leonard suffered the injury in Game 4 of the 2021 Western Conference semifinals between the LA Clippers and Utah Jazz. Leonard was leading a fastbreak with under six minutes left in the game when Ingles gave him a take foul bump.
Leonard awkwardly landed on his right foot, which might have caused his knee injury. He ended up missing the rest of the series due to a sprained knee. However, he underwent surgery that offseason due to a partially torn right ACL.
The Clippers ended up eliminating the Jazz in that series. Leonard has since recovered from his injury, but the team is still cautious about his workload.
Meanwhile, Ingles tore his left ACL midway through last season. He was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers at the deadline, but never played for them due to his injury. He entered free agency last summer and signed a one-year deal with the Milwaukee Bucks.
To read Marcus Morris' interview earlier this week, click here.
Kawhi Leonard has stiffness in right knee
Kawhi Leonard has played in just two of the LA Clippers' first four games of the season. Leonard came off the bench in the Clippers' first game of the season against the LA Lakers last week. He was rested in the first game of a back-to-back last weekend.
Leonard returned and came off the bench in the loss to the Phoenix Suns on Sunday. The Clippers then ruled him out for their next two games against the OKC Thunder. The two-time champ had tightness in his surgically-repaired knee in Tuesday's pregame shootaround.
Clippers coach Tyronn Lue clarified that Leonard didn't suffer a setback in his recovery. The 31-year-old superstar forward was sent back to LA to continue rehabbing his injury. The Clippers' next home game is on Sunday against the New Orleans Pelicans.
"We want to be cautious, make sure we're doing the right thing by him." Lue said. "Even though he wanted to play, we just thought it wasn't smart.
"He can be mad at us if he wants to, but just not smart right now. We've got to make sure we're doing the right thing, sending him back to LA because he has better resources for his rehab there."