Terry Rozier Showing he Can Replace Evan Turner

Terry Rozier is proving that he can take over the role opened up by Evan Turner’s departure

The Boston Celtics lost an incredibly valuable piece of their team this free agency. The initial expectation was that Evan Turner would return to the team that finally allowed him to flourish, but he simply got an offer he could not refuse and the Celtics could not match. Turner was one of the main ball handlers and the most important offensive instigator with the second unit. Fortunately, the Celtics are in a great position to make up for the loss.

Thanks to Danny Ainge’s brilliant rebuilding, the Celtics managed to build one of the more promising core of young guards in the NBA through the draft, and now the success of his drafting is truly gong to be tested.

Once one of the most highly scrutinized picks in last year’s draft, Terry Rozier had a bigger role as a rookie than expected (largely due to injuries) and if this summer league is any indication, he is ready to take the next step.

There may be uncertainty as to who will be more of a ball handler between Rozier and Marcus Smart, but Rozier is giving Stevens every reason to look his direction. The most important thing for Rozier was his defense and his intensity, and now the real test will be coming if he is given the additional responsibility that was handled by Turner.

The Celtics know they can get productive minutes out of Rozier. A truly ferocious rebounder played  with the aggressiveness that is necessary for success in the Celtics’ offense. The difference is now that the Celtics need Rozier to become an instigator that does things to make the offense function better, rather than benefit from how the offense already functioned. As Isaiah Thomas showed us last year, making the Celtics offense better means finding that balance between scoring and passing, and he has the tools and potential to do that better than Turner.

Turner had been a main distributor these last two seasons but was incredibly limited with his ability to score, and that is where Rozier becomes even more intriguing. It may be unrealistic for the Celtics to expect Rozier to have the same kind of impact as a distributor, but his potential as a scorer could greatly impact how successful the second unit is.

The biggest question will be what kind of impact Rozier will have on others, because he has the aggressiveness to be the main scorer with the second unit. He is getting comfortable playing with the ball in his hands this summer league, and the biggest difference from Turner to him may be a green light to shoot in more situations.

For Turner, he was limited to truly wide open shots, a great mid range game, and effectiveness at the rim. While Rozier still has consistency issues and has a long ways to go in proving he can be trusted, he can still attack from anywhere on the court.

The time Rozier spent in the rotation last year could be the difference maker. Being comfortable in Stevens’ system goes a long ways, and that is why Turner was able to be so successful. Turner knew how to function in Stevens’ offense, he learned how to become most effective and that turned him into an impact player. Fortunately, Rozier has a lot more areas where he can potentially be effective and if he approaches that potential, Turner will not be missed at all this season.

The worry is that Rozier was a porous finisher last year. He struggled in most areas but always appeared to be comfortable in Stevens’ system. He looked to make smart plays and he attacked any opportunity he had.

Rozier will need to prove that he can be trusted as a finisher, and he may go through a similar process as Turner did. Turner saw his shooting percentage shoot up in his last year with the Celtics because he had a better understanding of how to attack. Whether or not Rozier will attack is never going to be a question. The issue will be if he can establish a level of comfort that will allow him to become more efficient as a shooter.

It is difficult to gauge what kind of role Rozier will have based on summer league, but the bottom line is that the second unit is in need of a new ball handler, and Rozier is flourishing in that role so far in the summer league.

Rozier wants the ball in his hands and he is now proving that he can be incredibly dangerous in that position. The approach may be different as a score first player, rather than a pass first player, but Rozier is finally showing why Ainge reached for him with the 16th pick.

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Rozier may take a very different approach than what Turner did last year, but that is the role he is looking to take over. Rozier needs to prove that he can be a trusted finisher and then he can be one of the best two way players on the bench. Defense was there even last year and was a monster on the boards. If the scoring comes, it may only be a matter of time before he gets a crack at the starting unit.