Celtics' Stevens: Morris to miss start of season, Tatum likely to start

The Boston Celtics' prized rookie may be in the starting lineup to begin his first season.

Head coach Brad Stevens announced Sunday that expected starting power forward Marcus Morris will likely miss the first week of the regular season due to knee soreness, and hinted Jayson Tatum will start in his place.

"I don't want to say (the starters) because then I feel like I would be stuck to it, but probably pretty similar to what we've been doing," Stevens said following practice, as quoted by MassLive's Jay King.

Tatum and sophomore Jaylen Brown started alongside stars Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward, and Al Horford for the majority of the preseason, leading the C's to a perfect 4-0 record.

And so, the 19-year-old Tatum appears set to get the starting nod at the four-spot at the outset of his NBA career. The No. 3 overall pick out of Duke averaged 8.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and two assists in 25 minutes per game in exhibition play.

Morris has been dealing with the knee issue since his late arrival to training camp, and will be re-evaluated in 10-to-14 days. The Celtics acquired Morris this offseason from the Detroit Pistons in the Avery Bradley trade, and he missed the beginning of camp due to an aggravated assault trial.

Tatum and the Celtics open the campaign Tuesday against the Cleveland Cavaliers.