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Boston Celtics: Marcus Morris’ value is in jeopardy

By Joshua Bateman

CLEVELAND, OH - MAY 25: Marcus Morris #13 of the Boston Celtics goes to the basket against the Cleveland Cavaliers during Game Six of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on May 25, 2018 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. 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 2018 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - MAY 25: Marcus Morris #13 of the Boston Celtics goes to the basket against the Cleveland Cavaliers during Game Six of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on May 25, 2018 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. 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 2018 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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All the talent the Boston Celtics are adding will make it difficult for Marcus Morris to keep his role

The Boston Celtics just went on one of the craziest playoff runs in recent history, and Marcus Morris was a vital part of it. He took on a great deal of scoring responsibility when the injuries piled on, and was a clear leader for this team.

Morris is a major part of the core and identity that took LeBron James to seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals, and he did more than enough to prove his value to the team.

Right now, there is no reason to think a roster spot could be at risk. Morris is on a phenomenally cheap contract, and the Celtics know he can always be a scoring spark off the bench.

The problem, however, is that the Celtics should not need that spark next season, and the rotation might have to go too deep to give Morris a significant role.

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When you add Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward to Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Al Horford, offense should never be a concern. The Celtics are not going to need another option to manufacture points, and that is all Morris really has to offer them.

He was absolutely vital to a team that was inconsistent and streaky on offense. He had the most timely scoring on the team, and absolutely showed up in the clutch. Morris will fight and claw to make sure he can have some sort of role on this team, but there is just too much talent ahead of him right now.

You have the top five, followed by Terry Rozier, potentially Marcus Smart and Daniel Theis. Add on a lot of young versatile bigs and there is going to be a lot of competition to stay in the rotation next year. Come playoff time, it is rare to see much more than an eight man rotation. Brad Stevens loves to use deep rotations, so Morris will get some time on the court. That being said, the top end talent of this team can be overwhelming, and Stevens will not extend his rotation just for the sake of it. Morris needs to make sure he improves his efficiency and his decision making.

Keep in mind, Morris is more of a finished product that most players on this team. The Celtics are adding top tier talent and have young stars that are certainly going to be improving. Morris could fall too far behind quickly, and it is hard to imagine him ever catching back up from that.

Last season, there was value in Morris taking difficult shots, because he could help make up for an offense not functioning well. Next season, there is too much offensive talent for anyone to be taking a difficult shot, and there are multiple options who would be ahead of Morris if they did need it.

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It will be interesting to see if Stevens will try and use Morris in another way. There is no doubt that he is talented and can have an impact on both ends. The problem is that Stevens might be able to get too much more from the top talent for Morris to have any real impact on what they want to do.

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