Stephon Marbury is frustrated. He’s frustrated because his shot isn’t falling the way it used to and because he hasn’t been the answer to every one of the Celtics' problems. He’s frustrated because those damn legs aren’t there yet and he’s frustrated because in his attempt to prove to everyone that he is a set-them-up point guard instead of jack-em-up malcontent that he’s not giving his new team exactly what it needs. 
 
That’s good. 
 
It’s good because his frustrations aren’t about playing time or roles or contracts or any of that other stuff that has plagued him throughout his star-crossed career. If the jury is still out on Stephon Marbury the player (and it is), then the early returns on the great Celtic locker room social experiment have been all positive. 
 
“He’s definitely looking pass first,” Doc Rivers said and by way of definition a shooting guard as Marbury nominally was the other night against Miami with six assists and three shot attempts in 31 minutes is basically the definition of ‘pass first.’ “I got on him a little bit about that (earlier in the week). But I don’t think that’s from confidence of shooting, I think that’s he’s trying to make plays for everybody so bad, instead of just playing the game. But it will come. It just takes time.”
 
Two plays stand out from Wednesday’s game. On the first, Rajon Rondo pushed the ball ahead to Marbury on a fast break as he was breaking free in the forecourt. As a Miami defender closed, Marbury let up just enough to make the defender commit and then whipped a pass back to the trailing Rondo for an easy layup. Then in the third quarter, Marbury shook his defender, got to the basket and completed a three-point play after drawing a foul from Miami’s Daequan Cook. 
 
The first was the kind of play very few people thought Marbury would be willing to make. The second was the kind of play very few people can make at all. 
 
“His vision,” Rivers said. “I didn’t know he was the passer that he is. So that’s a bonus that I didn’t know. We’ve used him on two plays to start the game where he was more of a conduit to the next option because we thought he could make the pass and that’s something you usually can’t do unless it’s Rondo. So it’s nice to have a player where you can use Rondo as a handler, pass, and then still have a passer with the ball.”
 
You could see the gears turning in the head of the ex point guard as he described the action imagining all the possibilities. The talent is still there. The instincts are still honed. It will just take time. 
 
Time is something the Celtics suddenly have. What was once a sprint to the finish line in a race against the Cavaliers and Lakers for homecourt advantage has become basically a reset of Celtics v. 2.0. They have a little under a month and 13 games left to get ready for the playoffs, which now seems like a nice chunk of experimentation space. It’s almost a mini training camp in March, albeit with real games, not enough practice time and a real chance of slipping behind Orlando for second place in the Eastern Conference. 
 
And yet, the injured players, particularly Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, are close to a return. Brian Scalabrine finally has a timetable to work with and the hope is that Leon Powe will be back in the early part of April. There is still time to make this all work. 
 
But the Marbury part of the equation still remains a work in progress. Since his return he is averaging only three points a game and is shooting a horrific 30 percent from the field through 10 games. His advanced numbers are even worse--an offensive rating of 71 and a defensive rating of 107—numbers which, if he were anyone else, would get him a one-way ticket to the D League. So, he has reason to be frustrated. 
 
“I’m taking it one quarter at a time,” he explained for what must have felt like the 37th time since he came to Boston. “The most important thing is winning the game and continuing to contribute. I have been out for so long, so just being back on the court is a blessing for me.”
 
The frustrations are understandable, but the distractions have been non-existent, and for now, that’s a very good thing, indeed. 
 
Paul Flannery covers the Celtics for WEEI.com. He can be reached at pflannery@weei.com.