It could be a long time before we figure out exactly what is happening with Marcus Morris
At the start of the season, everyone knew that Marcus Morris would need extra time to be properly integrated. He missed training camp and preseason while on trial, and everyone expected him to need that extra time before getting his proper spot in the rotation.
Then, before he could get into things, there were some minor knee issues. The Celtics decided to be even more cautious, keeping him out of the start of the regular season. It took some time, but it finally felt like he settled, and even got some time as the fifth starter.
Just as it looked like Morris might finally be ready to get fully up to speed, the knee soreness came back. The Celtics started resting him on back to backs, and limiting minutes when possible. It was only a matter of time before the Celtics had to take him out of the lineup, and now fans are more confused than ever.
We have not been given any indication that this is a long term or season threatening injury, but nobody like to hear of any problems from the knee. Morris is still unable to get on the court, and it does not sound like we are going to get any kind of consistency. A couple days ago, Stevens had this to say about the situation: “A game, three days off, a game. Try it that way, and then progressing back to every other day. He won’t play back-to-backs for a while” (Via BostonGlobe).
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The only clarity Stevens has given on Morris is that he definitely will not play on back to backs. Other than that, we have no idea what kind of minutes he can handle, and it could drastically change from game to game. We also don’t know when he will need one of those rest days, making it impossible to predict what kind of role Morris can have in the rotation.
Even if he gets back into the lineup, we still cannot get excited, because the minutes could be short and they could turn around and keep him out of the next game.
The Celtics have struggled to keep their full lineup healthy and together. They have accepted the fact that Gordon Hayward is not expected to return this injury, but this Morris saga could go on all season long.
At no point have we been given a time table and it feels like he has aggravated this on multiple occasions already. Obviously it is not bad enough to completely shut him down, so everyone is going to be wondering on a game to game and even minute to minute basis.
Thankfully, Morris is not a franchise altering injury. They can manage and get by without him, but the instability is frustrating. The players still need time to get comfortable together, and for a new player to constantly be in and out of the lineup, it might be impossible for Morris to ever capture his full role and potential with this team.
We have seen glimpses of what Morris can do as the top second unit scorer, and it is a boost they clearly need with a lot of inconsistent shooting on the bench. The Celtics benefit from having Morris whenever he is in the lineup, but they need to accept the fact that they cannot depend on him.
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Even if Morris comes back for a solid stretch, the team cannot get to a point where they are depending on his production to win on a nightly basis. The team now needs to make sure they are always prepared to win without Morris, because it is looking like nobody knows when Morris will be back at 100 percent.