BOSTON -- Say what you want about Marcus Morris; the man doesn’t lack confidence.
Like Kyrie Irving, Morris also talked about how things would be different for the Celtics, in a good way, once the playoffs rolled around.
He was right … sort of.
A strong first-round sweep of Indiana was as good as things would get for Morris and the Celtics who were soon knocked out of the playoffs in the second round by Milwaukee.
And while Morris proved to be one of the few bright spots for the Celtics this season, he, too, had a less-than-ideal finish to the season and potentially, his career as a Celtic.
Morris will be an unrestricted free agent this summer and is expected to receive a decent amount of attention from a number teams, which include the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers.
The attention Morris will garner this summer is in large part due to how he played this past season for the Celtics.
Morris put up career-best stats in a number of categories such as rebounding (6.1 per game) and shooting (44.7 percent from the field).
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Still, there’s a need for him to become a more consistent shooter.
Prior to the All-Star break, Morris was averaging a career-high 14.5 points on 47.6 percent shooting from the field and 40.9 percent on 3’s.
After the break, his scoring had dropped to 12.5 points while shooting 37.8 percent from the field and 30.0 percent on 3’s.
Morris has a solid 6-foot-9 frame and seems built for today’s NBA game, which rewards players with defensive versatility. While that’s a big part of who Morris is as a player, his defense this past season wasn’t as good as we’ve seen from him in past.
Even with some aspects of his game being off compared to past years, Morris, who turns 30 in September, is a player who has tremendous value in the NBA for not just what he does statistically, but also because of the tough-guy demeanor that he plays with on a night-in, night-out basis.
And those skills are going to be rewarded in a big way this summer when he hits free agency and lands what’s likely to be a contract that will at least double the $5 million he made last season.
The only question isn’t whether he will get paid, but rather will he be getting paid by the Celtics?
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