There is no denying the ability of Marcus Morris from the midrange. The veteran forward has made a career out of creating opportunities for himself in that area of the floor, which doubles as the most inefficient shot in the game.
Unlike most players, Morris hits enough shots from those spots to justify most of his attempts. He’s shooting 46 percent from the field from 16-23 feet this year, which is the second-best mark on the Celtics roster behind Kyrie Irving. He also ranks second on the team in percentage of field goal attempts from that 16-23 feet range (nearly 20 percent).
Shot creation from that area of the floor is an important skill to have, specifically in the postseason. When defenses tighten up and offensive sets breakdown, things get hairy quickly for teams with players that can’t get any real separation in that area of the floor. There’s no better example of this than the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals last season (outside of Isaiah Thomas).
With Irving, Morris and Jayson Tatum, Boston is better equipped this postseason to handle those situations. Still, on a game-to-game basis in the regular season, there’s no question that Brad Stevens would prefer his players to steer clear from those spots on most possessions. Layups and 3-point shots are the two best kinds of shots within the team’s profile from an efficiency standpoint.
Morris has never been known for his driving ability (shooting an ugly 53.7 percent in the restricted area) this year. However, he has shown a promising shift in his shot profile since the All-Star break that should bode well for the long-term.
Morris is taking more 3s than ever since the All-Star break. It’s an area I hoped would change when I wrote about his struggles back in February:
1. Turn Morris into more of a spot up shooter: He’s doing one thing well this year (3-point shooting), so maybe it is time for the coaching staff to stop giving him the green light as much in midrange shot creation and turn him into more of a catch-and-shoot player.
Over that past month, that trend has started to take hold. Morris has increased his 3-point attempts per game from 3.9 per game before the break to 5.4 per game since. That’s a 39 percent increase in shots from downtown per game that puts him just behind Irving and Terry Rozier for most 3-point shot attempts on the team over that span.
More importantly for the Celtics, Morris is sustaining his accuracy from downtown (36.9 percent) with the increased output, which is just a tenth of a percentage point below his season average.
There’s no question that some of the increase in volume can be attributed to the additional minutes Morris is getting in the wake of injuries, but the percentage of 3-point attempts within his shot profile is over 40 percent, which is nearing a career-high. He hasn’t taken this many since his 2014-15 season with the run-and-gun Phoenix Suns.
“I always feel like myself, regardless of who is on the court,” Morris said of his increased production. “It's about what you bring differently when other guys play. When Kyrie and Jaylen Brown play, I, obviously, become more of a spacer. I got to be great with doing that and coming off with the second unit and still getting my shots and playing the game the right way. I'm getting more opportunity to shoot the ball. I mean, that's obvious. Somebody has to score so I'm just stepping in and Brad's doing a great job of finding me, keeping my confidence high and letting me play.”
The extra value that the Celtics get with Morris when he fires from 3-point range is his ability to knock down shots above the break. While some elite 3-point shooters are reliant on corner looks (a shorter distance) for their high percentages (Jayson Tatum), Morris is actually best at the top of the key and on the right wing. Notice the contrast in his shot chart here with a guy like Tatum.
Tuesday’s game-winner against the Thunder was no better example of the value Morris brings on this front. As the defense collapsed on Tatum, Morris was an easy release valve for the rookie.
Marcus Morris FOR THE WIN! #SCtop10 pic.twitter.com/nCERtu9vJg
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 21, 2018