Marcus Morris became an integral part of the Boston Celtics offense during their playoff run back in May. Here are three goals Morris must accomplish in 2018-19 to improve on that.
Boston Celtics forward Marcus Morris had arguably one of his best NBA seasons coming off the bench for coach Brad Stevens in 2017-18. He became a focal point in the offense when Kyrie Irving injured himself back in March, and helped guide a young team to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Morris is entering a contract year, and is set to make a little over $5 million. This means that following the 2018-19 season, he’ll be a free agent, looking for a convenient deal. For the Celtics, retaining him will be key, especially since he’s the much-needed sixth man Stevens wants.
While his numbers aren’t mind-blowing (13.6 points-per-game and 5.6 blocks-per-game during the 2017-18 regular season), his efficiency and volume definitely stood out.
According to Basketball-Reference, Morris averaged his second most three-point attempts of his career at 4.3, and that was with playing six less minutes than the year he had his most (all in 2017-18). He shot 37 percent for three in the regular season, which was a noteworthy improvement compared to 2016-17 when he was still with Detroit.
Marcus Morris just turned 29, meaning he is about to enter his prime. It is now or never for the veteran to produce at a high level, and he has a chance to do that over the next few years. For now, here are three goals the forward can accomplish for the upcoming 2018-19 regular season.
1. Have better shot-selection
Yes, Brad Stevens acquired Marcus Morris so the nine-year player can shoot. But sometimes the veteran failed to realize that there’s a better shot on the floor, and more often than not, he would put up an ill-advised three-pointer while covered.
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This wasn’t really a problem until the playoffs, when Morris’s numbers dropped compared to the regular season.
According to ESPN, Morris actually took less shots in the postseason, but had a worse shooting percentage (36 percent in the playoffs compared to 42 percent in the regular season). Some of his looks wouldn’t be good unless your Steph Curry, which was troubling at times, especially if there was someone else open on the floor.
One aspect of his game I did really enjoy watching was his ability to move off-ball, which is rare for someone like him. A lot of his cuts to the rim were very clean and precise, and despite his readiness to shoot the ball every time he touched it, at least the forward showed an ability to move and keep the offense flowing.
Unfortunately, Marcus Morris only managed a paltry 1.6 assists-per-game in the Boston Celtics 2017-18 regular season, so looking to swing the ball around the wing can really add another dimension to his already impressive game on both sides of the ball. It’s not so much of an improvement as it is awareness.
When he did find the open man, it was lethal, especially in the Eastern Conference Finals when Cleveland looked out of sorts when the ball was whipped around the perimeter.
2. Continue to be a hype man
One of my favorite moments of the 2017-18 Boston Celtics team was in Game 2 during the Eastern Conference Finals, when Morris yelled into Tristan Thompson’s face after a huge and-one in the third quarter. The Cavaliers were winning for most of the game at that point, leading by as much as 11 until Morris and company went on huge run after huge run, and came out with their own 13-point win.
Thompson probably tried messing with Marcus Morris throughout the contest, so having something like that happen was priceless. That moment officially turned the game into the Celtics’ favor, and they never looked back from there.
The same type of thing happened in Game 5, where Morris deflected a lob pass to Larry Nance Jr in the second half. After the great defensive play, Morris stared down Nance and said something (probably vulgar). Nance took offense to it and shoved Thompson, but that’s besides the point. Morris caused Cleveland’s center to show frustration, which only added to another 13-point finish for Boston.
Sure, sometimes the forward may need to control his emotions, but his style of play definitely rubs off not he younger players and motivates them to have the same passion as him. We saw that passion come out in Game 7 of the same series where Jayson Tatum dunked on LeBron, and went right up in his grill.
Somehow I feel like Morris had something to do with that moment, especially since Tatum is usually pretty level-headed.
Either way, Marcus Morris definitely has his teammates’ back, and uses emotion to impact any game. Hopefully that carries into the following years.
3. Win the sixth-man award
Since this award is offensive-driven (much like every award in the NBA), the idea doesn’t seem hat far-fetched. Marcus Morris will still get 25-30 minutes a game, meaning he’ll have plenty of time to impact his team.
On top of that, he’ll probably jump in pretty quickly at the beginning of the regular season, especially since Gordon Hayward won’t play a whole ton as he eases back into competing at a high level.
If his field goal percentage rises to around 45 percent, and his points-per-game improves to 16, then maybe he’ll have a shot. Becoming a multi-faceted player on offense could be the push he needs to receive that type of recognition. Passing the ball can only help him.
All in all, between his contract being up after the season, and the return of key cogs within the Boston Celtics lineup, this could be one of Morris’s most important seasons of his mostly successful career. It will be interesting to see what he’s worked on since May.