Is Terry Rozier Being Set up for Disappointment?

Terry Rozier has high expectations this season but it may be hard for him to reach the hype

The Boston Celtics lost the primary ball handler on their second unit in Evan Turner, and that responsibility is now going to fall onto Marcus Smart and Terry Rozier. Rozier has far less experience on the team, but with how the Celtics have been using Smart, Rozier has a great chance to be the primary ball handler on the second unit.

Rozier is going to get a much increased role this season and after the success he had in the summer league, he has created a lot of pressure to breakout this season. The problem, however, is that all the extra responsibility could further emphasize the worst part of Rozier’s game last year, shooting.

Turner was never a great shooter for the Celtics, but he was effective. Turner learned how to attack and cut out the shots that hurt the offense. Last season, Rozier was awful from all over the court. He never got a chance to really establish himself on the offensive end, and that could mean he may have to deal with a difficult adjustment period, even if he is against second units.

The biggest issue for Rozier could be how high the expectations are right now. If Rozier struggles shooting the ball, that will be a main focus, but it is unrealistic to expect him to be a strong shooter at this point. For Rozier, expectations need to be focused on how much of an impact he can have on the defensive end, and how comfortable he can look running the offense. The Celtics need to push the pace and they need to have great ball movement. Shooting would be a great bonus for Rozier, but the most important thing for him this season needs to be how he runs the offense.

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Rozier is going to find himself in a difficult spot in terms of expectations. His shooting struggles will be highlighted much more, and if he is not drastically improved in this area, some people may never be satisfied with his play.

Rozier was bad enough last season, that simply improving will not be enough. With a shooting percentage of 27.4 and 22.2 from three, improvement could still leave Rozier as a liability shooting the ball. The Celtics do not need Rozier to be the strongest shooter on the second unit, but if he cannot reach at least 40 percent overall and 30 percent from three then he will be far too much of a liability.

Rozier will find himself in a situation where anything short of 45 percent overall and 35 percent from three is likely to be seen as a disappointment, but reaching those marks would mean completely flipping the script on his shooting.

Rozier should have no problem improving on those embarrassing numbers from last season, but with his increased role the expectations are going to be a lot more than any other second year player on the team.

The good news for Rozier is that the Celtics have shown a tendency to be patient with shooters. Jared Sullinger was given years before they gave up on him and they are still waiting for Smart to improve on that end. Rozier may have to deal with a lot more criticism than he deserves, but the Celtics should give him the time he needs to transition to the new role.

The problem for Rozier is the players they were patient with did not have the kind of role that Rozier is expected to have this season. Smart has had far less offensive responsibility because of how much he plays off the ball. His struggles on offense simply meant a shot would be missed. For Rozier, struggling on offense could have a detrimental impact on how the rest of the offense functions. The Celtics need good ball movement, and Rozier needs to be the instigating it.

Exactly how much ball handling he will do is still uncertain, but he will inevitably be put into that situation. He has proven to Stevens that he loves playing with the aggressiveness that allows them to play at such a high pace. The issue is that his errors and problems will be a lot more damaging this season. The Celtics are expected to put a lot of responsibility on the shoulders of the second year player and it is still too hard to tell how well he can handle that situation.

Rozier secured a role when the injuries piled up in the playoffs, but he was a non factor for the majority of the season. Everything they have seen with him is still in too small of a sample size. That could work in his favor with how poorly he shot last year, but the expectations feel far too high for a player as inexperienced as Rozier.

The Celtics were criticized for taking Rozier as early as they did in the draft, but that could be fully rectified this season. If he is able to have a strong impact as a ball handler, then he will quickly become one of the most important players on the second unit, and the team as a whole. The Celtics clearly believe in Rozier and have enough confidence in him and Smart, allowing them to let Turner walk in free agency.

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The Celtics had plenty of cap room to bring Turner back, but their great depth and youth in the back court made his price tag too big. Rozier and Smart are that depth and youth in the back court, and if they do not pan out this season with their new roles then they may regret having let Turner get away.