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Boston Celtics: Marcus Morris Becoming Top Offensive Option

By Joshua Bateman

BOSTON, MA - FEBRUARY 28: Marcus Morris #13 of the Boston Celtics shoots the ball during a game against the Charlotte Hornets at TD Garden on February 28, 2018 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. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - FEBRUARY 28: Marcus Morris #13 of the Boston Celtics shoots the ball during a game against the Charlotte Hornets at TD Garden on February 28, 2018 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. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) /
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Marcus Morris is turning into one of the most important scoring options on the Boston Celtics

After an incredibly frustrating start to the season with the Boston Celtics, Marcus Morris is turning things around in a way that very few saw coming. He went through nagging injuries, and questionable shot selection has many questioning if he could fit in with this offense. Since the All Star break, he has been one of the most important players on the team and one of the top scoring options.

In fact, there is a strong case for Morris being the second most important scorer behind just Kyrie Irving during this stretch, and there have been multiple games where he has been more effective than Irving.

The biggest problem with Morris early on is everyone looked at him as a ball stopper who forced shots. It felt like Morris would disrupt things around him, and his occasional scoring bursts were not enough to make up for it. Turns out that Brad Stevens was able to figure out how to integrate such a shoot first player, because Morris is flourishing as the second unit is functioning better than ever.

Morris has separated himself as the clear cut top scoring option off the bench. There is no one else that takes on this kind of scoring load, and he is still the most trusted finisher in any situation on that second unit.

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Morris is turning around his efficiency numbers, and it is getting quite hard to complain about any shot he is taking. He has brought his three point shooting percentage to 37, up from his career average of 35. When you take into account how many difficult shots he still takes, and this is easily becoming the best season of his career.

The Celtics have lacked a lot of consistency on offense, and it is still to hard to trust Jaylen Brown or Jayson Tatum to consistently be the second option. Al Horford is certainly more effective, but his role as facilitator is too important for him to be a true second scoring option.

The Celtics already have their best defensive option coming off the bench, and if Morris keeps this up he will be the second scoring option. Morris is not starting, but his minutes are starting to reflect how important he has been to the team over this stretch. Marcus Smart has been in this situation many times, because Brad Stevens has no problem playing his bench players plenty more minutes than starters.

Morris has played over 30 minutes in four of the last six games, and that says a lot when you take into account Irving leads the team with just over 32 minutes per game. This Celtics offense has been revitalized, and is consistent for the first time this season. The biggest reason is because of how well everyone is working together, with some of the best balance you will see in the league.

After that, Morris’ scoring surge has been the biggest difference maker right now. Keep in mind, Irving and Horford have not been quite at their best during this stretch, and Morris is picking up more slack on offense than any other point this season.

The Celtics have always been confident about their defense, but it has been clear for a while that their offense needed to improve. The Celtics have a long ways to go before you can trust they can sustain their offense, but the balance they have played with over this stretch is the best we have seen this season.

Who knows if Morris can keep this up, but it is becoming clear that he should be scoring in double digits every game now. Morris certainly does not have the kind of potential that Brown or Tatum do to be a real number two option. Right now, however, those two lack the consistency and are not at their best enough to be that number two.

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Until one of them takes on that consistent number two role, Morris will be in a position to be the second most important scorer on the team. Come playoff time, the Celtics really need one of those two to step in and bring that extra boost. For the rest of the regular season, however, this Celtics bench is showing what a difference it can make, and Stevens can trust them to keep on winning.

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