Marcus Morris Makes Preseason Debut Against Hornets

Marcus Morris hit the floor for the first time in a Celtics uniform on Wednesday night.

“On the offensive side it will be too easy.”

This is what Marcus Morris, Boston’s recently acquired power forward, stated to MassLive.com when questioned days ago about fitting into his role as the Celtics’ 4-man.

Recently acquitted from charges stemming from an assault trial, Morris was forced to wait until Wednesday night’s road contest against Charlotte to join his new Celtics teammates on the dance floor. For much of Boston’s 108-100 win over the Hornets, it was a party indeed for the Philadelphia native.

Showing more confidence than the previous Celtic to don the No. 13, Morris made his presence felt from the jump. His will to get involved in the offense would not be denied, as with a minute left in the first quarter, he took it upon himself to initiate some scoring.

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Handling the ball on the left wing, Morris attempted to drive past Johnny O’Bryant III towards the left side of the rim. When O’Bryant III beat him to the spot, Morris collected himself before turning around and hitting a 20-foot jumper in the face of the defender.

While this long two-pointer is considered to be the worst shot on the floor percentage wise, it is a promising sign that the Celtics have a power forward who is not afraid to create his own shot off of the dribble should things break down in the half court offense.

With 3:50 remaining the first half, Morris made an impact play of the defensive side of the ball. When Kemba Walker tried to thread the needle towards the middle of the paint on a fast-break, Morris swatted the ball away as if he was Malcolm Butler. The rock landed in the hands of Al Horford, who tossed a beautiful lob pass up the floor to a sprinting Morris.

The Kansas product then hammered home a two-handed jam to give the C’s a nine-point lead.

Just a minute later, Morris showed why having a stretch-four can be so valuable to an offense. With head coach Brad Stevens preaching an up-tempo style inviting three-point attempts, Morris should fit in admirably.

After rebounding a Marvin Williams miss, Kyrie Irving rushed up the middle of the floor. Morris proceeded to flank to Irving’s left while Jaylen Brown spotted up on the right wing. Irving drove the ball inside of the perimeter, forcing the Hornets defense to concern themselves with his scoring prowess.

This allowed Irving to drop the ball off to Morris on the left wing. Morris calmly stepped into the three-pointer and knocked it through, providing the Celtics with a 49-35 lead and forcing Charlotte to call timeout.

Morris’ willingness to shoot should replace the tentativeness from the stretch-four position that Celtics fans often saw from Kelly Olynyk. There is little indecisiveness in Morris’ game. While that may lead to some ill-advised shot attempts, it will result in Boston having another playmaker that they can rely on alongside Irving and Hayward.

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