Marcus Morris may be the one blemish in Danny Ainge’s trading history
I’m beginning to wonder if Danny Ainge finally botched a trade. Specifically, he misjudged the trade of Avery Bradley for Marcus Morris. Besides the questionable straight-up trade merits, fans often forget about the 2nd-round pick Trader Danny included in the swap. Maybe the pick won’t result in anything. Then again, maybe the draft pick becomes a star.
Cap Reasons
Now, I understand the thinking along salary cap lines. Bradley will command a large sum of money after his contract expires this year. Morris’ contract has 3 more years remaining, allowing more flexibility with upcoming contract decisions (Smart, Rozier, Brown et al).
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Sticky Issue
That being said, Morris simply does not fit well into Brad Stevens’ pass-first system. Movement results in good shots. Granted, Boston has a greater emphasis on isolation plays with Kyrie Irving in the lineup. However, Kyrie’s dazzling dishes make up a huge part of his offensive game. Over-helping on Irving almost guarantees a wide-open shot by another Celtic. With Morris, the ball just sticks.
Morris doesn’t have the same assist awareness to justifies his ball-stopping tendencies. It gets to the point where any dribbling on his part will result in a shot. This strangles the ball movement that is so vital to Boston’s offense. Recent losses to the 76ers, Knicks, and Magic show how dire things are when the Celtics offense stagnates.
Marcus Morris isn’t ALL bad…
What does he do well? Morris provides rebounding, bench points (when he hits shots), and a big body on defense. But, his deficiencies outweigh those benefits. This shows when he’s on the floor without Kyrie, Al Horford, or another solid facilitator. Left to his own devices, Morris clogs an already slow bench unit on offense. Not all his fault, but the cost of getting him draws greater scrutiny.
…just not as much as Avery Bradley
Bradley’s elite defense mostly stayed on the perimeter, to be sure. But his steady improvement throughout his career resulted in him providing much of what Morris brings to the court. Plus, Celtic fans rightly adored Avery. He showed poise through injuries. He gained a new skill every year. Most importantly, he was a fantastic locker room presence.
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Morris does some things well. However, he doesn’t do enough to justify the price paid by Ainge. He represents a rare mistake in the GM’s otherwise stellar trade record.