Terry Rozier showed a lot of promise at the end of his rookie season but that shouldn’t stop the Celtics from moving him for the right offer
A lot of eyebrows were raised when the Boston Celtics selected Terry Rozier with the 16th overall pick out of Louisville last year. He put together a very good sophomore season at Louisville but the Celtics already had a guard-heavy lineup and it seemed like somewhat of a stretch to pick Rozier in the middle of the first round.
He didn’t get a lot of playing time as a rookie until the end of the season when Jae Crowder was hampered by an injury. After only playing in 21 games during the first five months of the season, he saw action in 18 games during March and April – playing 11.1 minutes per game.
Rozier wasn’t looked upon to score when brought into the game – only averaged 2.4 points per game in March and April – but his passing, rebounding and defense continued to buy him more playing time.
Most of the time Isaiah Thomas or Evan Turner would run the offense, although when Rozier was called upon for a couple of plays he delivered. He made smart plays, didn’t turn the ball over often and knew when to pass or shoot.
The most promising aspect to Rozier’s game was his work on the glass. He averaged an impressive 7.8 rebounds per 36 minutes over the final two months of the season. Rozier isn’t the biggest guard – 6’2″ and 190 pounds – but he has a great build and knows where the ball is going on misses.
Despite all the promising moments in the regular season, Terry Rozier didn’t make his mark on the Celtics until the playoffs. He averaged 8.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.1 rebounds per 36 minutes. Rozier became more aggressive on offense when Avery Bradley went down in Game 1 and it was obvious Crowder was still not 100 percent.
There is no question that Rozier proved he should be part of the rotation next season, however, the Celtics already have three established guards in the rotation and may draft another one or two this year – especially since they’re still in need of a three-point specialist.
That could leave Rozier as the odd man out. Rozier exceeded expectations as a rookie, but he doesn’t bring anything unique to Boston’s team. Yes, he’s a great rebounder for a guard, however, Marcus Smart averaged 5.5 rebounds per 36 minutes last season – 0.7 less than Rozier.
It’s a very small drop off for a player who provides better defense and is improving as an offensive player. Also, getting help on the glass from guards is not expected, it’s seen as a bonus if a guard is a good rebounder.
Boston could move on from Smart but he’s been a big part of their team for two seasons now and gives the Celtics a defensive specialist off the bench. The fact of the matter is Marcus Smart will only be traded if he’s packaged with other assets to land a star player.
Terry Rozier isn’t a bad defender but there’s close to no chance that he’ll surpass Smart in that category.
On offense, Rozier was timid when he had an open shot and struggled shooting from behind the arc. He improved his three-point percentage to 36.4 percent in the playoffs, however, he still shot under 40 percent from the field (39.1 percent). With the Celtics already a poor shooting team they would rather give minutes to a three-point specialist.
Rozier isn’t going to develop into the scoring sidekick that the Celtics need alongside Isaiah Thomas and he’s not able to run the offense for long stretches of time, yet. He’s not a bad player by any means, but, he’s a jack-of-all-trades and a master of none.
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If the Celtics keep Rozier and bring in a three-point specialist it will be hard for him to see any significant playing time again, barring an injury. It would seem pointless to keep him at the end of the bench when Boston could get something for him.
Teams have inquired about the availability of Terry Rozier already and he could be a main piece in a big trade this upcoming off-season. He has potential to become a serviceable guard who can provide solid minutes off the bench, which makes him very intriguing for rebuilding teams.
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It may seem a little premature to move on from Rozier but the Celtics already have a very stable back court and Rozier isn’t the missing piece. His value is a lot higher after his playoff performance and packaged with the third pick would result in a very intriguing deal for a team looking to gain more young talent.