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Boston Celtics No Longer Being Just Cautious With Marcus Morris

By Joshua Bateman

BOSTON, MA - December 4: Marcus Morris #13 of the Boston Celtics arrives at the arena before the game against the Milwaukee Bucks on December 4, 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 - December 4: Marcus Morris #13 of the Boston Celtics arrives at the arena before the game against the Milwaukee Bucks on December 4, 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 is expected to miss an extended period of time for the Boston Celtics

Ever since the start of training camp, where Marcus Morris missed time while on trial, he has not been able to consistently remain in the lineup for the Boston Celtics. At the start of the season, everyone thought they were holding him out longer to make up for the time he missed. When the Celtics started sitting him in back to back situations, many figured they were just being cautious.

Now we see that this is something more for Morris. He is going to be out for an indefinite extended period of time, and it is difficult to find much clarity in this situation at all (Via Boston.com).

It is still being called nagging knee discomfort, and that really does not make it any easier to gauge when he might be coming back. Any time there is something wrong with the knee, there is reason for concern. It would be a lot more frightening to hear about a serious injury to the knee, but right now it is difficult to rule anything out with confidence.

The Celtics have a history of being cautious with injuries under Brad Stevens. They embrace a long rotation to allow for these situations. Last season, it was a saga with both Avery Bradley and Al Horford at times. We were continually told that they were day to day and could come back any time, meanwhile the missed games continued to stack up.

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The Celtics are never going to take chances with injuries, and that could mean Morris could be out for a very long time. Given how difficult it was for Morris to stay in the lineup in the first third of the season, they are not going to play that game anymore.

They are going to make sure they figure out what exactly is nagging Morris’ knee so that they can only put him back in the lineup when there is no chance of bringing the problem back.

Morris is not one of the most important players on the team, but he plays a vital tole on the second unit. He is one of the only players that can create his own shot, and it would be devastating to see that unit go back to shooting under 20 percent.

The good news is that the second unit scoring has improved. Terry Rozier is playing phenomenally, their bigs are hitting some threes, and we have see those few breakout offensive games form Marcus Smart. We have seen that the second unit offense can survive without Morris, making it that much easier to keep him on the bench.

The Celtics desperately want to finally get to full strength this season. They have so few games with everyone healthy, and that has held them back from reaching their best potential this season. The Celtics have the front court depth to survive Morris missing time, but that will still hold them back from being at their best, even if it is just a slight impact.

Morris is inconsistent, and can jack up some bad shots at times, but they can accept that on the second unit. He is the most trusted player to bring that added spark of offensive creation, and he can be a big part of the second unit going on runs.

This puts more pressure on the starters, and as long as Al Horford is out too, there is going to be a lot of pressure on Kyrie Irving, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum to pick up the scoring.

Next: Front Court Will be Pushed to Limit

The Celtics have been tested in many different ways this season, and it has never slowed them down. Hopefully, missing Morris for an extended period of time will not be what finally slows them down.

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