Boston Celtics All In With Terry Rozier

When the Boston Celtics drafted Terry Rozier a lot of fans were puzzled. Rozier was projected to go late in the first round and the Celtics already had plenty of depth at the guard position. As disgruntled as the fans were the Celtics organization were dead set on Rozier.

Rozier was one of the only players that the Celtics worked out multiple times pre draft and there still have been no signs of regret. Even after Rozier was outperformed by both R.J Hunter and Jordan Mickey in the summer league the Celtics were still determined to lock up Rozier.

Rozier was not terrible in the summer league as he was one of the top contributors on the team and amongst the leading scorers but his inconsistency from the field was concerning. Just before Rozier hit the dramatic game tying three against the San Antonio Spurs he was having one of the worst shooting games of his career as he was shooting an abysmal 1/10 from the field.

With all that taken into account the Celtics have still given Rozier the max rookie contract. The Celtics have a lot of guards that they need to evaluate and with Rozier getting 120% of the rookie scale he will have as much opportunity as any to secure a spot on the roster.

Rozier does not bring any additional size to the Celtics but he is yet another solid defensive guard. Most of the Celtics’ defensive success came from Avery Bradley and Marcus Smart last season and Brad Stevens will continue to be able to have solid defensive play from his guards. In his final college season Rozier had a defensive rating of 90.4, very similar to Smart’s 92.3 during his final season at Oklahoma State.

Mar 8, 2014; Ames, IA, USA; Iowa State Cyclones forward Melvin Ejim (3) is defended by Oklahoma State Cowboys guard Marcus Smart (33) in the second half at James H. Hilton Coliseum. Iowa State beat Oklahoma State 85-81. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports

Rozier will have to be significantly better to take over Smart’s starting position but if he shows the ability to move over to the shooting guard position then he will have a shot at the starting unit. It is starting to look like Rozier will be the long term replacement for Bradley.

The two guards have almost identical size and height, they are both questionable shooters and they are both strong defenders. Rozier has a long ways to go before being at the defensize level of Bradley but he will have a great opportunity to develop behind one of the strongest defensive back courts in the NBA and then when the time comes to part ways with Bradley, Rozier will allow for an easy transition.

Rozier also has more offensive potential than Bradley. While Bradley is not a huge liability on the offensive end he will never be able to carry the team. Rozier, on the other hand, is used to carrying his college team and until Smart proves that the offense can run through him, Rozier will have an opportunity to one day control the Celtics’ offense.

Rozier is more polished offensively than Smart was coming out of college and even though Smart was better than expected he still has a long ways to go. Rozier will be able to get comfortable in Steven’s system while initially coming off the bench and if he can improve his efficiency and three point shooting then he could be in line to run the Celtics’ offense in the future.

Rozier shot a concerning 30.6% from beyond the arc his final season at Louisville but after Smart drastically improved his three point shooting there is reason to believe that Rozier will follow that trend.

March 22, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard Terry Rozier (0) moves to the basket against Northern Iowa Panthers during the first half in the third round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at KeyArena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

It may take time before Celtics fans will be comfortable with the Rozier pick as he will have a hard time getting into the starting unit and having an immediate impact. It is unrealistic to expect Rozier to have the same kind of impact Smart was able to.

The thing about Smart is that it is not just his on court contributions that have cemented his role on the team so quickly. Smart is already a leader on the team and his ability on the defensive end ensures that he is always a great option.

Rozier will probably never reach Smart’s leadership capabilities and he may never have the same determination and drive but he has all the physical tools to approach Smart’s defensive play and to even surpass Smart’s offensive play.

Patience will be the key with Rozier, especially with how many guards the Celtics have and with the front office still in the middle of a rebuild the Celtics will give Rozier all the time he needs to develop into the player they want him to be.

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