Boston Celtics: Can Marcus Morris Adjust to a New Role This Season?
By Thomas King
Boston Celtics forward Marcus Morris had perhaps his best season as a professional in his first with the team, but he will have a different role this season with Gordon Hayward back. How will he adjust?
It’s fitting that on the day we discuss the improvements Marcus Morris can make next season, the Boston Celtics forward makes noise for taking exception to his NBA 2K rating (subscription required).
NEW STORY: In an era of peaceful protests by professional athletes, Marcus Morris has staged a boycott.
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) October 10, 2018
Feeling disrespected by NBA 2k, he said he has stopped playing the game altogether. https://t.co/HAHdvjHN08
We’ll leave it to to others to decide if the rating is fair (70’s score seems a bit low though, doesn’t it?), but the story perfectly encapsulates the prickly, prideful attitude that makes Morris the player he is.
Morris is very confident, stubborn, and competitive, and it fuels him as an athlete. The 6-foot-9 reserve forward coined the B.W.A. (Bench With Attitude) nickname for the Celtics bench and has been vocal about the dominance he expects from the second-teamers this season.
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After arguably his best season, Morris will have to adjust to an evolving role with the return of Gordon Hayward and the emergence of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.
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Last season, of the Celtics regular rotation players, only Kyrie Irving had a higher usage rating than Morris; his 22 percent usage was the tops of his career and he averaged a career-best 18.5 points per 36 minutes.
Morris provided Boston with much-needed toughness and versatility on the defensive end, while shooting the three (38%) and drawings fouls at an above average rate for a bench bereft of scoring punch, especially when Rozier moved into the starting lineup.
With the team at full strength this season, however, coach Brad Stevens won’t need to feature Morris on offense nor rely as much on his shot-making skills. Morris will have to adjust to a new role on offense and try to thrive without the ball in his hands as often.