Marcus Morris no longer plans to make his Boston Celtics preseason debut Friday night.
Head coach Brad Stevens told reporters Morris, coming off his first day of practice, will actually sit out against the Philadelphia 76ers. The forward had previously stated an intention to suit up.
Based on nuggets coming out of shootaround, the Celtics want to avoid rushing Morris, who admittedly arrived at camp in less than ideal condition.
Stevens says Marcus Morris will not play tonight: "We've got to have him have a little bit of a preseason before we throw him into the fire" -- Boston Celtics (@celtics) October 6, 2017
Stevens adds that he hopes Morris will play Monday or Wednesday. "He went through a hard practice yesterday for the 1st time (in a while)." -- Boston Celtics (@celtics) October 6, 2017
Marcus Morris won't play tonight. Just getting his legs under him. -- Adam Himmelsbach (@AdamHimmelsbach) October 6, 2017
Morris joined the Celtics in time for Thursday's practice after the conclusion of his aggravated assault trial earlier this week. The forward and his brother, Washington Wizards big man Markieff, were found not guilty on all counts.
Marcus said he worked out with a Celtics staffer before court in the mornings, but missed out on the first week and a half of camp, including Boston's preseason opener. Admittedly, he needs to work his way into better shape.
"I'm OK (with conditioning)," Morris said after practice Thursday. "I'd like to be a lot better."
Morris, a candidate to start at power forward, will now have just two preseason games to get acclimated to his new team. The Celtics open the regular season Oct. 17 against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.