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Marcus Morris Will Have To Wait To Make His Celtics Debut

BOSTON (CBS) -- Marcus Morris was hoping to hit the floor for the Celtics on Friday night, but the forward will have to wait a little longer to debut with his new team.

Morris will not play in Boston's preseason tilt against the 76ers in Philadelphia, Celtics head coach Brad Stevens announced after the team's Friday morning shootaround.

"We've got to have him have a little bit of a preseason before we throw him into the fire," Stevens told reporters.

Morris practiced with the Celtics for the first time on Thursday after he and his twin brother, Markieff, were found not guilty on aggravated assault charges earlier this week. He was hoping to suit up in Philadelphia, but Stevens and the C's staff don't want to rush the forward. The coach said he hopes to have Morris in the lineup on Monday when the 76ers come to Boston.

Acquired from the Detroit Pistons for Avery Bradley and a 2019 second-round pick, Morris figures to be in the mix for the Boston starting five. But he'll have just two preseason games to get acclimated to his new team before they tip-off the regular season on October 17 in Cleveland, so he could start the year off the bench.

Morris averaged 15.5 points and 5.1 rebounds over 79 games for the Pistons last season. He's averaged 14.9 points and 5.8 rebounds per game throughout his six-year career.

Tune in to Friday night's Celtics-76ers preseason game on 98.5 The Sports Hub -- the flagship station of the Boston Celtics. Coverage begins at 7pm!

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