Demetrius Jackson Could Mean End of Terry Rozier

The Celtics selected Demetrius Jackson, who wasn’t supposed to fall past the first round, with the 45th pick, and now Terry Rozier might be on his way out

Just a year ago the Boston Celtics drafted a young point guard out of Louisville, Terry Rozier. Everyone was shocked at the decision as Marcus Smart was drafted just a year earlier and the Celtics recently traded for point guard Isaiah Thomas.

The same reaction was true when Boston picked Demetrius Jackson, a point guard out of Notre Dame, with the 45th pick. With the abundance of guards on the roster, it was a questionable selection to say the least. Although, at the same time, it was a value pick late in the second round that the Celtics front office could have only dreamed of leading up to the draft.

People thought there was a chance Jackson would get drafted in the lottery, and no one expected him to fall out of the first round, let alone the top-40. Jackson might have opted to return to Notre Dame for his senior season if he knew what the results would be, however, it’s hard to imagine he won’t make the Celtics roster and make an impact as a rookie.

Demetrius Jackson is a humble, hard-working kid out of Mishawaka, Indiana. He was recruited by Brad Stevens to play basketball at Butler University, but ultimately decided on Notre Dame. It turned out well for him as he put together three very good seasons with the Fighting Irish, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that the Celtics back court is one of the deepest in the league.

Other than their starting guards of All-Star Isaiah Thomas and All-Defensive First Team selection Avery Bradley, Boston also boasts Marcus Smart, Terry Rozier, and R.J. Hunter. With the third overall pick Jaylen Brown being in the mix as well, Hunter will likely spend most of the season in the D-League after he was barely able to see any significant minutes as a rookie.

The selection on Demetrius Jackson was one that no one could have seen coming, but he has a chance to knock Terry Rozier out of the rotation, or force the Celtics to trade one of their young guards.

It seems unlikely that Jaylen Brown will be on the move as Boston likely would’ve selected Kris Dunn to entice other teams. Therefore, the Celtics probably don’t have enough firepower to pull off a blockbuster trade involving Bradley, unless they want to move a future Brooklyn pick.

With that being said, the Celtics still drafted five other rookies and own multiple picks in the future that could end up being very high selections. You can never count out a trade when it comes to Danny Ainge, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Terry Rozier on the move.

Marcus Smart is too valuable on the defensive end to move, despite being a liability on offense. The Celtics drafted him sixth overall just two years ago and still believe he can become decent on that end of the floor. Hunter doesn’t hold enough trade value – Boston would likely only get a second round pick back – so that leaves Terry Rozier as the odd man out.

Rozier didn’t play much until the end of the season but he had a decent rookie campaign. His play didn’t blow Boston out of the water but he was more developed than we expected and played big minutes in the playoffs. Although, in the end, it’ll be hard to say he deserves minutes over Demetrius Jackson if he out-plays Rozier during Summer League play.

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Obviously that’s a big if, but Rozier is anything but untouchable and Jackson’s game offers more to Boston than Rozier’s does.

Jackson posted an incredible 15.8 points, 4.7 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game as a junior last year. He also shot 45.1 percent from the field and 33.1 percent from three, but he’s a much better three-point shooter than that suggests.

Jackson shot 41.7 percent from behind the arc as a freshman and 42.9 percent as a sophomore, however, he attempted a career-high four threes per game as a junior and the loss or Jerian Grant in the back court put more focus on him. He still posted his best scoring season in college, and it’s not to say he’s the next Steph Curry, but Jackson has a chance to be one of the better three-point shooters on the Celtics. Opposing teams won’t focus in on Jackson when he’s on the court and they’ll also have to respect his drive.

For as respectable as his three-point game is, and as good as his mid-range game is, he wants to get to the basket and make an acrobatic finish. It led him to shooting 52.5 percent from inside the arc as a junior.

On the defensive end, he’s not close to a finished product on defense, but neither is Rozier. In 410 minutes during the regular season and playoffs, Rozier only recorded seven steals. It’s partly due to his inconsistent minutes but he’s also not great at creating turnovers. Jackson is, as he recorded 1.2 steals per game.

Proving he can guard in the NBA will allow Jackson to see minutes as a rookie. Even though Rozier isn’t a liability on that end, Jackson is better at creating turnovers and offers more on the offensive end. Besides, Rozier’s biggest compliment was his rebounding and that’s not a necessity when it comes to guards.

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Having a guard who rebounds at a good rate is always welcome but not something that makes or breaks their careers. Also, Rozier only contributed 2.8 rebounds per game because of his little playing time, therefore, the infatuation of his rebounding was mostly due to his Per 36 minutes numbers. A rebound or two difference isn’t enough for him to get minutes over Jackson if he outplays him in Summer League play, especially since Boston is expected to strengthen their front court.

When it comes down to it, Jackson’s potential impact on the Celtics is head and shoulders above Rozier’s. The Celtics wouldn’t need him to act as a true point guard off the bench as he’d be used as the offensive spark they were missing. He doesn’t own great size, however, that’s nothing new to Brad Stevens, and the Celtics should be running more small ball lineups with Jae Crowder at the four and Jaylen Brown at the three.

Next: Report Card: Boston Celtics Draft

Rozier still has the potential to be a solid NBA player, but nothing in his game sticks out. He’s not a liability in any area but isn’t going to be the difference maker in a game. For as many groans and boos the Demetrius Jackson pick received on Thursday night, this is arguably the best guard the Celtics have drafted in the past two drafts.

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