Lakers' Markieff Morris Clears COVID-19 Quarantine, Can Rejoin Team Activities

Los Angeles Lakers announced that forward Markieff Morris was permitted to rejoin his teammates for basketball-related activities after clearing the NBA's COVID-19 protocol.

Lakers head coach Frank Vogel told reporters Wednesday that Morris was in Orlando, Florida, but still awaiting the green light to get back on the court.

Fans noticed Morris wasn't in Orlando when the Lakers arrived this month, with ESPN's Dave McMenamin reporting he had an excused absence.

Under the league's health and safety protocol, Morris had to test negative for COVID-19 twice over a period of more than 24 hours in Orlando. Upon clearing that step, he was then to be isolated in his hotel room for 36-48 hours before he could officially enter the NBA's bubble at Walt Disney World Resort.

The 30-year-old made just eight appearances for the Lakers prior to the league suspending the season in March.

He had connected on 39.7 percent of his three-pointers through 44 games with the Detroit Pistons, but the 6'8" forward hasn't been shooting them as much or as well with Los Angeles. Morris was 6-of-21 (28.6 percent) from beyond the arc over 118 minutes with the Purple and Gold.

Now, he's nearly two weeks behind his teammates in terms of preparation time. The Lakers held their first practice inside Disney on July 11.

Vogel might have to ease Morris back into the rotation when the team resumes the season July 30 against the Los Angeles Clippers.

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Bleacher Report's David Gardner interviews athletes and other sports figures for the podcast How to Survive Without Sports.