3 Players Who Have Improved During Hayward’s Absence
By Adam Miller
3. Terry Rozier
Terry Rozier has been nothing short of spectacular in the first the 4 games of the season. The former Louisville standout has improved in nearly every statistic from the previous season.
The most notable increase in Rozier’s stat line may be his minute total which has improved from 17 per game, to now 27. If nothing else, this shows the immense trust Brad Stevens has in him.
Rozier has also vastly improved on his scoring, rebounding and passing. So far this season, he is connecting on 44% of his shots from the field and long range. While he wasn’t a terrible 3-point shooter last season — 36% from behind the arc — he wasn’t always reliable. For the first time in his career, he seems comfortable with that shot.
As a rebounder and passer, Rozier has made major improvements. This season he’s averaging 5.8 rebounds per game and 4.0 assists. His vision while passing the ball has been impressive thus far. He currently has a career-high 24 assist percentage this season. As for his rebounding, just take in what Al Horford had to say.
"“I’ve been around a lot of guards and he’s probably the best guard who rebounds the ball.” via The Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach"
If Rozier can continue upon his improvements, he may prove Danny Ainge to be right about not trading him and all the Twitter jokes can finally stop.