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Terry Rozier With a Strong Impression in Camp

By Joshua Bateman

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When the Boston Celtics selected Terry Rozier with the 16th overall pick many people were puzzled. Not only was Rozier widely projected to go late in the first round, but the Celtics had also just used a first round pick the previous year on Marcus Smart.

When the Celtics then selected another guard with their second first round pick it become clear that they wanted to give themselves as many options as possible in order to solidify their core of guards.

Unfortunately, Rozier was arguably the most disappointing rookie in the summer league. Jordan Mickey was an absolute monster blocking shots and R.J Hunter made it clear that he may already be the best three point shooter on the team. Rozier, on the other hand, struggled tremendously shooting the all and did nothing to silence the critics that thought the Celtics reached when they selected him.

Things may finally be turning around for Rozier as he has emerged as the top rookie early on in training camp. Amir Johnson has already spoken about Rozier and had this to say “Terry’s incredibly quick and athletic, Works hard. Unbelievable player”. Rozier may be the most athletic guard on the Celtics and he may be on his way to having a shot at a starting position.

Stevens values defense above all else with his guards and his combination of quickness and athleticism could be a terror alongside Marcus Smart, Avery Bradley or Evan Turner. Rozier may not be as strong of a defender as any of those three but his athletic potential surpasses them.

Rozier also has an opportunity to be one of the stronger finishing guards on the offensive end. He will need a change in mentality as he will never approach how much he was utilized at Louisville, but if he can be efficient and safe with the ball he will be a part of the rotation. Rozier played 35 minutes per game and took over 10 shots per game, marks that nobody on the Celtics reach.

Feb 7, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Jerryd Bayless (19) drives for the basket between Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart (36) and guard Avery Bradley (0) in the second quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

A time will come when the Celtics are going to have some difficult decisions regarding the rotation of guards and a fast start may give Rozier the cushion he needs. Rozier is actually in a similar situation that Smart was in a season ago. There were very few expectations for Smart on the offensive end but his NBA ready defense immediately earned him playing time.

Coming out of college, Smart had defensive ratings of 86.1 and 92.3. Rozier then posted marks of 89.6 and 90.4. Smart had a significant edge with 2.9 steals per game but Rozier was no slacker with 2.0 steals per game in their final seasons.

Rozier has a long ways to go before he can reach Smart’s defensive level as it is extremely rare to see a player that NBA ready on the defensive end. However, he has a great opportunity to learn behind Smart and if he can begin to emulate his effort on the defensive end then Stevens will surely give him minutes.

The Celtics cannot afford to regress in any way on the defensive end and if Rozier can immediately help out there then nobody will be regretting who they selected with their first pick in the draft.

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