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Marcus Morris: Right Place at the Right Time

By Jeremy Stevens

BOSTON, MA - NOVEMBER 10: Marcus Morris #13 and Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics high five during the game against the Charlotte Hornets on November 10, 2017 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - NOVEMBER 10: Marcus Morris #13 and Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics high five during the game against the Charlotte Hornets on November 10, 2017 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Marcus Morris landed in a great spot to succeed with the Boston Celtics

Marcus Morris was traded to the Boston Celtics from a Detroit Pistons team that looked to be stagnating. Stan Van Gundy, the old-school center whisperer that once rode Dwight Howard‘s bicep to the finals, had not yet brought Detroit to their full potential, or even the playoffs last year.

One of the key issues with that Detroit team was Andre Drummond‘s inability to hit free throws, keeping him off the court in too many late-game situations. When Morris was traded to Boston, another problem with the Detroit offense was given some extra attention: Why was Morris shooting almost 13 times per game?

I’ll be honest. I didn’t watch every Pistons game. But I do think being an offensively limited team takes a toll on each individual player, and that could have held them back last year. Drummond has now learned the art of passing, which opens up the floor for players like Reggie Jackson, Tobias Harris, and Avery Bradley.

His newfound abilities certainly give Detroit more of an offensive identity than they had before, hence the unexpected 10-4 start. Morris could have been a part of that equation just as easily as Bradley fell into it, but the Celtics managed to get Morris right when they needed him.

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Without Gordon Hayward, the Celtics have had an identity crisis of their own on offense. Kyrie Irving and Al Horford play like lifelong acquaintances, but the Celtics have struggled to add to the volume of their overall production.

Some have said consistency has been their issue and I disagree. Jayson Tatum and the rest of the guys have been fairly consistent. It just hasn’t added up to a lot of points.

The biggest threat posed by the league’s star players is that they can generate their own offense no matter who is guarding them. In the instance of a double team, they’ll make the right pass, or score anyway. Morris is not a star caliber player, but his ability to create his own shot has filled the void pretty nicely.

His offensive tendencies are hardly reformed, but he’s been much more efficient in his first six games and that’s about the best we can hope for. His 1.065 points per possession puts him in the 82nd percentile according to Synergy, and he’s shooting at career high percentages in just about every stat you can find on basketball-reference. Morris clearly feels at home in the Celtics offense, as he’s been putting up over 10 shots per game in his 22 minutes. This projects to over 16 shots per 36 minutes, which is on par with the 12.7 shot attempts he took in 32 minutes per game last year in Detroit.

Next: How the Celtics Defense Improved

It’s funny that Tatum has drawn so many comparisons to Paul Pierce while Morris has the most Truth in his game of any Celtic. If you really want to see a Pierce reenactment, look no further than Morris’ fourth quarter play against the Hornets and Brooklyn Nets (maybe he just hates ‘nets’), a series of pull-up in-your-face midrange daggers over helpless defenders to seal two victories.

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