Marcus Morris on playing smallball power forward with Celtics offense: 'It's going to be too easy'

Marcus Morris is playing it safe with his training camp workload as he gradually ramps up his conditioning for the Celtics regular season opener next week in Cleveland.

The 6-foot-9 forward sat out Friday's preseason game in Philadelphia and likely won't play against the Sixers on Monday night either. The former Piston took part in about half of Celtics practice on Sunday as he tries to work himself back into game shape.

“It’s obviously going to be an adjustment for him," Brad Stevens said after Sunday's practice. "Any time you’re going straight from not having done practice to practicing (every day). Hopefully he gets back sooner rather than later. But we’re going to be appropriate with it so that he feels great.”

A shortened preseason will make that more of a challenge for Morris, who said today he's shooting to drop seven pounds by the end of the preseason. Despite the delayed start, the 28-year-old fully expects to be in the starting lineup on opening night next to Al Horford and can't wait to capitalize on spending more time at power forward. 

"I feel like it's going to be really easy," Morris said of playing the 4 from an offensive standpoint. "I don't think I can name two or three 4-men that can really do anything with me on the floor, you know what I mean? They might be a little bit bigger so I'm just trying to keep my strength and be a great rebounder. But on the offensive side it will be too easy."

Morris spent the majority of the past two seasons playing small forward alongside a similarly sized Tobias Harris. While Harris was capable of spreading the floor from 3-point range, Pistons center Andre Drummond's lack of shooting range didn't create a lot of additional space for Morris in post and isolation situations. That's something that will definitely change in Boston playing with Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward and Horford.

"I think there are a lot of people that are playing smaller at that spot," Stevens said of going small at the 4. "I think inevitably one of the ways that we try to play is our wings do very similar types of things. So he’s not doing things that are much different than 2s or 3s. And then we go to who’s got the matchup we like and we post that person, or if he’s being guarded by a big and he can play in space and catch behind the 3 and shoot, or play off the dribble, or even in a 4-5 pick-and-roll, those are all things that he can do.

"We’re excited about what he would bring to us in what would be probably a long and versatile lineup when you think about him, Hayward, Jaylen, him, Jayson, Gordon, those types of lineups at the 2-3-4.”

Other practice news and notes

Rest for the starters? Stevens wouldn't reveal his gameplan for Monday's game against the Sixers just yet but it sounds like it's a good chance that some veterans outside of Morris will get some rest. That's good news for some end of the bench guys like Abdel Nader, Guerschon Yabusele, Semi Olejeye, Shane Larkin and Daniel Theis who will be trying to make their case for spot minutes in Stevens' rotation.

Gordon Hayward trying to get used to driving in Boston:  One of the biggest challengers for a player like Hayward from the midwest is adjusting to city life. Those drives to the TD Garden from the suburbs aren't getting any easier yet either. "That’s still difficult for me and for my wife, too," Hayward said of the driving. "Roundabouts, how narrow the roads are, they are super narrow, I feel like I’m making a lot of U-turns right now. I apologize to everyone who’s probably honking their horns at me. I’m that guy right now.