Terry Rozier is looking to become a household name for the Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics have one of the most recognizable and talented teams in the NBA, but that is entirely because of their starting unit. When you get to the bench there are a bunch of unknown and young rookies who many fans out of Boston would not be able to identify.
Then, they also have Terry Rozier. Rozier is a decently recognizable player, but for the wrong reasons so far. The biggest reason people know who Rozier is because of how many times he was brought up in trade rumors, and all the speculation about Danny Ainge not willing to pull the trigger because of keeping him.
He is one of the four players to return from last year’s roster, and that might have been the biggest surprise of the offseason considering he was tied to literally every single trade rumor, and it felt like there was a new one every week.
After two games, Rozier is showing us why Ainge is keeping him, and if he keeps this up he no longer be recognized as the unexpected survivor of the roster overhaul, because he is having an exciting impact on both ends for a team that everyone will be paying attention to.
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After two games, Rozier has been the most impressive player on the Celtics so far, and has put together the two most complete games on the roster this season. We are seeing Rozier consistently play at the level he has shown flashes of in the past, and if Marcus Smart is sidelined with ankle injuries, he will be leaned on even more.
The Celtics’ depth was in question before Hayward got hurt and now there is even more pressure on an incredibly young second unit to provide a boost, and Rozier is ready to answer the call.
Rozier is a play maker on both ends of the court, and he is playing completely in control. He has grown tremendously this season, and he is finally realizing how he can use his immense talent on a regular basis.
The problem is that Rozier still is not completely trusted. People are still waiting for him to start turning the ball over with wild play, and they are waiting for him to start taking the bad risks on defense, that have cut him out of the rotation in the past.
The good news for Rozier is he has at least earned a long leash, and unless Shane Larkin starts playing out of his mind, nobody is going to be taking his role away.
The starting unit is going to need a lot more help from the second unit with Hayward out of the lineup, because nobody who takes his spot is going to have the kind of impact he would, meaning the second unit will have to pick up some of that slack to avoid falling off too much.
Right now, Rozier looks like the only player that will be able to bring that spark from the second unit (assuming Smart is either injured or is starting) and if he continues producing at this rate, people will quickly forget the players that the Celtics supposedly missed out on to hold onto Rozier.
Rozier’s play from this season has been exactly what the Celtics have been waiting for out of him. He does run into some tunnel vision problems, but on a second unit with almost no experience, the Celtics will not mind as much if Rozier is taking matters into his own hands more often.
We should get a great glimpse into the full arsenal of what Rozier can offer, because he has been one of the few good surprises early on this season, and that is what the Celtics need to build on as the top talent and starting unit figure out how to play to their ability.
One thing Rozier has always been is exciting. He has great athleticism and he flies all over the court on both ends. He is always looking to make plays with his energy, and it is hard not to notice him, for good and bad, when he starts looking to make plays.
It has been phenomenal to start, and the Celtics need to know that they can lean on that impact from Rozier. If Stevens can start to trust that impact he can focus more time on the starting unit. The bench is in more of a dire state right now, but the starting unit is in a more pressing situation to make things work.
If Rozier keeps up his level of play, then he could start to creep up on some most improved player of the year and sixth man of the year conversations, and that will transform how his career is perceived.
Next: Marcus Smart Dealing With Ankle Issues
More importantly, he can be one of the more important players in helping the team get through what will be a tough and potentially long transition period, which will get further extended if Smart misses any time after rolling his ankles.