Boston Celtics: Can Terry Rozier Make a 6MOY Run?

When Terry Rozier is scoring like this, he is one of the most important sixth men in the NBA

Terry Rozier had a bit of a lackluster start to the season. The Boston Celtics were expecting to make a leap this season, and become a crucial part of this rotation on a nightly basis. The shooting was not there to begin with. He brought the defense and rebounding, but Rozier was still a disappointment on offense.

That was until these last two games, and all of a sudden people need to reevaluate what they think about Rozier this season. It is just two games, but he is averaging 20 points per game on over 70 percent shooting, and even if that is a fluke, it is a great sign.

The Celtics have the best defensive second unit in the NBA, but the offense has been a disaster. We still cannot expect Marcus Smart to elevate his shooting and become the top scoring option, but Rozier has emerged as the best candidate for that.

Rozier has great athleticism and explosiveness, giving him a lot of opportunities to create. The difference, however, will always be that finishing ability. Rozier is still incredibly inefficient, but 36 percent form three point range is a positive sign this early on in the season.

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The Celtics know that Smart will be able to instigate offense, and be the complete leader of the second unit. That being said, Rozier can become one of the most important players on the team if he can continually bring the scoring boost on the second unit. We know the offense will come from the starters, and if the bench gets a scoring edge too, the Celtics are going to be impossible to beat.

Rozier becoming the top bench scorer on top of what he does on defense and a rebounder would certainly put him in the sixth man of the year race. He is on the team with the best record, and this kind of scoring is going to directly lead to wins for this team. He can certainly be one of the most important sixth men in the NBA, and when that is accompanied by the kind of success they are having, people will pay attention.

The biggest obstacle that would come in Rozier’s sixth man of the year run could be Smart. It feels weird talking about Rozier as a sixth man of the year candidate, when everyone would agree Smart is a more important player coming off the bench. Rozier will have to do tremendous things on offense to get out of Smart’s sixth man shadow, because there is no chance anyone gets an edge on Smart, unless it is shooting.

This all has to be predicated on Rozier keeping up this scoring. If he falls back down to what he was doing before these last two games, then most people will forget about him, and only get reminded on those few occasions when he does break out. Rozier needs to prove that these games are not him breaking out beyond his capability. If he does that, then he will certainly be in discussion for at least one award this season.

Rozier has a long ways to go, but it is impossible not to get excited after what he has done these last two games. We can see how comfortable he is creating with the ball in his hands, and now he is becoming a top off ball shooting threat for the second unit.

The biggest edge Rozier could get it how awful the rest of the second unit offense is. If Rozier does not keep this up, then that second unit will continually be a liability on offense, and the team will certainly suffer. There is no one else that we can expect to bring the scoring Rozier has these last two games, and that amplifies whatever importance he might have, and will bring in more attention form voters.

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Rozier is going to be one of the more important players to watch the rest of the season for the Celtics. They have a clear and desperate need for great scoring on the second unit, and Rozier is the only legitimate option they have right now, without shaking up the starting lineup.