It hasn't been a great start to what was supposed to be a promising season for the Boston Celtics, as injuries and bad play has resulted in the team sitting on a 1-2 record after three games played.
The Celtics two losses on the season so far came in the first two games against the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Milwaukee Bucks, but they did defeat the Philadelphia 76ers last time out, so things are looking up for the team.
The entire season may end up being a struggle though if they don't sort out their small forward position quickly, as that has been up in the air ever since Gordon Hayward suffered a fractured tibia and dislocated ankle in his left leg six minutes into the Celtics' regular-season opener against the Cavs.
Hayward will likely be out for the rest of the season, so the team needs to find a solid player to replace him in the starting small forward position. The majority of people believe Marcus Morris will be that person.
However, two games have been played since the injury and Morris is yet to play, but there's a good reason behind this. The Celtics know he didn't have a full training camp to work with his new teammates, so they're taking their time integrating him into the team. His time could come as early as this week though.
According to the Boston Herald, Al Horford said on not rushing Morris in: “Obviously it will be important for our group but we’ve got to play with what we have until Marcus gets back. That means there’s an opportunity for other guys to step up and get some experience.
“And at the end of the day, I want Marcus to be able to come back and be healthy and feel good. We don’t want any setbacks, so as much as we want him out there, he needs to get healthy.”
Morris has said as well ever since he saw Hayward go down, he's been wanting to get on the court to help out the Celtics, but he realizes he must do what is best for his knee which has been sore recently.
“There’s a long season left, a lot of season,” Morris said. “I want to play, but I’m just doing what’s best for my knee.
Morris said as well he is ready to step up when the opportunity presents itself by scoring more points on the court.
“We’ve got to continue to fill that void, and I’m the next guy to step up. I think I’ll definitely be asked to do more on the offensive end. My scoring load has to go up.”
Boston will hope to continue winning games when they go up against the New York Knicks on Tuesday night.
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