Links: The Morris brothers face each other

The Celtics face the Wizards today so that means Marcus Morris Sr. will be playing against Markieff Morris.

The Athletic has this apt description of the pair:

Philly tough, they own reputations for being the wrong guys to challenge but are also regarded as positive forces within their own locker rooms — veterans who approach their jobs with consistent care. The Morrises carry laid-back demeanors off the court, but still deliver their opinions bluntly, whether that’s during an old beef with the Suns organization or while administering advice to younger teammates. They are loving fathers and referee dissenters. They are beloved teammates who don’t stand for nonsense.

In the MetroWest Daily News, Brad Stevens gushes about Marcus Morris and his role on this team.

“When we had the initial injury wave last year in March,” the coach said after Monday’s 113-100 victory against the New Orleans Pelicans at TD Garden, “when Kyrie (Irving) was out, (Marcus) Smart was out, and Jaylen (Brown) was out for a while after falling in Minnesota, I thought Marcus Morris took it to a different level. I thought that was a big reason why we were feeling good about ourselves.

“He was great throughout the postseason. And he’s done nothing but add to it here at the start of this season.”

Steve Bulpett (in the Herald) highlights the effect that Morris has had on rookie Robert Williams III.

But Williams knows he has to get better, and to help that along, he has not just coaches in his young ear. He has teammates, perhaps chief among them Marcus Morris, to guide him.

“Oh, for sure,” Morris said. ‘We actually talk a lot. I spend a lot of time with him. I just try to tell him how the NBA works, things like that. I try to work on his perception, how he approaches the game professionally, things like that. I had to learn that myself, how to get in position to do stuff like he does. I take pride in that.

The Globe has more fun stats reflecting the Celtics recent success:

Riding their longest win streak of the season, the Celtics are finally looking like the team they were hyped up to be. During the span of their past six games, the team ranks first in the league in points per game (124), field-goal percentage (51 percent), three-point percentage (42.7), net rating (25.6), and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.51).

Sean Grande also has stats.