In a rollercoaster ride of a season for the Celtics, one of their most consistent contributors has fallen on hard times in the month of February.
Marcus Morris helped keep a floundering Boston team above water in the first half of the year with his elite 3-point shooting and defensive rebounding. That type of production brought up the possibility of entering the 3-point contest and even led to the team featuring him in their All-Star campaign alongside Jayson Tatum and Kyrie Irving. There was no doubt that Morris was overachieving based on his career numbers but his improvements became an essential part of this squad during a 27-11 stretch after a 10-10 start. While the young guys went up and down, Morris could be counted on for efficient scoring and steady defense.
However, regression has hit hard in the last month for Morris and it has not come at a good time for the C's in the midst of a brutal stretch of the schedule. In the month of February, Morris is shooting 27.3 percent from 3-point range, which is nearly 12 points below his season average. That type of a slump is no surprise for a player at some point of the season but the bigger challenge for Brad Stevens has been that Morris is still shooting more than ever despite the offensive woes. His 5.5 3-point attempts per game lead the team in February and that has helped weigh down the offense in recent weeks, dragging down the team's offensive rating to 102.2 this month, the lowest among the team's regulars.
The problems haven't just been on the offensive end either with Morris. The Celtics have fared far worse with him on the floor in February (111 points allowed per 100 possessions) from a defensive standpoint as well, as his effort and focus has waned at times in the midst to his shooting woes. He addressed those issues at shootaround on Friday morning, putting the onus on himself to bring more to the game.
"Guys need to start being more consistent, including myself," he said. "Like, big time for me. You know what I’m saying? I feel like I haven’t been consistent these last couple weeks and I take it upon myself to really play better, be a better leader, play harder, get the fans engaged more. Bring some soul back to this shit, man. Because these last couple games ... obviously we haven’t won for a bit. You know, it’s been a little bit down.”
While Kyrie Irving has repeatedly stressed that the team will be fine for when the postseason rolls around, Morris acknowledged the importance of finding the team's rhythm ahead of what will undoubtedly be a tough playoff draw for the C's.
"I don’t think [the playoffs are] necessarily a reset button," Morris admitted. "I think we need to build some type of rhythm going into the playoffs. I don’t think it just happens. I don’t think it’s a switch you can hit and then, bang, you just go undefeated in the playoffs. I think we need to start handling things."
So what exactly is the key for Morris to get himself back on track? He pointed at the need to maintain his energy no matter how his offense looks on a particular night.
“Just be myself, man," Morris explained. "There’s been times where obviously I haven’t been hitting my shots as much as I have early on. And I think I’ve been letting that get to me and affect other parts of my game. Just, as a man, you sit back and see what I can correct. I think it’s my energy, man. Miss or make shots, it’s going to happen -- guys miss all the time. But I can’t let that affect my game, let that affect my energy and my attitude. Just try to be a better leader going down the stretch because we need it.”
Whether it's Morris or Marcus Smart (32.7 shooting from 3 in February on five attempts per game), the Celtics clearly need more from their role guys in order to navigate these rough waters. With five of their next six games coming against above .500 opponents, the losing is going to continue unless some type of consistency returns beyond just Irving, Horford and Tatum. A willingness to adapt by Morris is a strong start.
“As we come down the stretch we have to do what’s best for the team, and that starts with me, personally, man,” said Morris."That’s just being hard, playing hard, or bringing more energy, interacting with the fans a little bit more just to get them into the game, get some energy in the building, then that’s what it is. I’m ready to do whatever it calls for in order to turn it around, whatever causes us to be more confident as a squad, I’m ready to do whatever.
Other Shootaround Notes
- Aron Baynes took part in a 1-on-1 workout and came off well in his hard workout on Wednesday. He could return to the lineup as soon as Sunday, according to Stevens
- Daniel Theis expects to play despite dealing with some knee soreness.
- Jaylen Brown told reporters Danny Ainge had a positive conversation with him about how he's handled a tumultuous season in the face of role changes and frequent criticism. “It’s appreciative,” Brown said. “Some GMs might not say anything to you. So I appreciate him. I try to listen to everybody, hear from everybody and their perspective. You can learn something from anybody if you listen. So, Danny’s definitely one of the people in my ear that I’m tuned in to, just because of his position and what he’s been through.”