The Boston Celtics have been one of the most dangerous teams early on this season as this relatively young roster has meshed better than many expected. Though offseason additions Kyrie Irving and rookie Jayson Tatum have thrived in Boston thus far, the same can’t be said for forward Marcus Morris.
The combo forward was expected to be heavily leaned on after receiving him in the Avery Bradley trade, especially considering the absence of Gordon Hayward but Morris’ own injury woes have kept that from transpiring. Morris missed the inaugural week of the campaign with a left knee injury and that same ailment has continued nagging him according to The Vertical’s Shams Charania.
Sources: Boston forward Marcus Morris is expected to miss extended time as he and the team work on solution for nagging left knee.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 11, 2017
Marcus Morris remains sidelined as he works his way back from his left knee issue, missing 4 straight contests and sitting out 5 of the last 6. Though Charania reported that he could be sidelined for ‘extended time’, it appears a return may be on the horizon sooner rather than later.
Morris recently told Mass Live’s Jay King that he’s targeting a Christmas Day return when he squares off against his brother Markieff and the Washington Wizards:
“I’m hoping to play on Christmas (against Markieff Morris’ Wizards),” Morris said. “Really hoping to play Christmas. Maybe a game before that just to get warmed up to it. But I’m probably going to be on limited minutes.”
“Just looking at the schedule for the rest of this month is really brutal, so we’re just thinking about taking it kind of easier this month and then just letting me go for the rest of the time,” Morris said. “Because we go to London (in mid-January), but we have six days off, so the rest of the months aren’t as hard. So we’re just trying to base it around that.”
When healthy, Marcus Morris has provided a veteran presence along with Al Horford and Aron Baynes in a relatively inexperienced Boston frontcourt. His looming return could pay major dividends for the Celtics, as he adds an extra scoring punch from either forward position. Morris has posted per-game averages of 12.1 points and a career-high 5.5 rebounds in 16 appearances thus far this season.
