Heat reportedly concerned Markieff Morris will miss rest of season after Nikola Jokic shove

If you asked Miami Heat forward Markieff Morris, he’d be out there playing.

The team, however, has yet to clear him from the “whiplash” he suffered after being shoved by Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic in November. That injury, according to the Miami Herald, may end up keeping him out for the rest of season.

Jokic was ejected from their Nov. 8 game in Denver after running up and shoving Morris hard from behind near mid-court. The shove came after Morris had body checked Jokic and elbowed him in the ribs.

Jokic’s shove sent Morris down to the court, where he stayed for quite some time clearly in pain. Jokic was assessed a flagrant 2 foul and was ejected, and later suspended for one game. Morris was fined $50,000.

Morris has not played since.

He has defended himself and the injury several times on social media, and at one point blamed Jokic — who he called a “sloppy fat boy” — for running full speed and making “direct contact” with his spine.

Though the Heat are reportedly “uneasy about clearing him,” Morris took to Twitter on Saturday to say that he’s been cleared and that he will be back at some point this season.

He did not play in their game against the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday, however, which was the 44th game since the incident with Jokic.

So if he has indeed been cleared, it’s unknown when he will actually get to play again.