Terry Rozier needs to have more of an impact on defense if he wants to maintain a significant role next season
The Boston Celtics could have a cluttered roster next season, with more than enough top end talent to take away the majority of the minutes form anyone on the bench. After the job he did last season, Terry Rozier feels like one of the only bench players that can expect to consistently have a significant role.
To start the season, he will be in a position to go on a great sixth man of the year run. In order to maintain that role, however, he needs to step things up on defense. In the end, it will really come down to what the Celtics need more, and offense is much less of a concern.
The Celtics have too much offensive talent to expect Rozier to have a complete role creating on offense. The Celtics know how explosive he can be, and the kind of runs he can manufacture by himself.
His consistency problems, however, will ensure that he will rarely or never be the primary offensive option on the court, and that is when he was truly able to flourish last season, and earn a great role.
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Rozier will still be needed to create on offense, because the spark he can bring off the bench can be truly special. He knows how to run offense well, and never turns the ball over. There is enough trust with him on offense, but the standards to get minutes on this team are going to be higher than that.
If Rozier is rarely going to be the primary offensive option, he needs to make sure he is giving Brad Stevens more reasons to give him minutes, and he needs to do that on the defensive end.
Getting strong defense from their guards is going to be vital this season, because they are going to have to make up for more than ever with their lack of size in the front court. Rozier has solid size and is an exceptional athlete, so there is potential there for for him be one of the most disruptive defenders on this team, at a position where they desperately need it.
Transition is where Rozier can be the most dangerous. He decision making is not always the best, but his quickness and athleticism will absolutely punish teams, and the athleticism he has around him will lead to a lot of quick and easy points in transition.
What happens with Marcus Smart could drastically impact how much the Celtics use Rozier. In any situation, however, he will need to be doing more on defense. If Smart is around, then Rozier’s minutes will get eaten up by Smart if he is not playing good defense, because they need to get strong defense off their bench.
If Smart is not there, Rozier’s defensive responsibility will increase, because he will be a primary candidate to take over much of Smart’s role.
Defense has always been a priority with Stevens, but Rozier has been able to get a lot of his minutes because of the special spark he can bring on offense. Next season, defense becomes even more important off the bench, because they have all the offensive firepower they need from that starting unit.
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Rozier could be in line for a special season. He has grown every year, and has embraced every single role that he has been put in. Stevens understands much better how he can use Rozier on defense now, and if he is able to continually get the team running in transition, he can be a deadly weapon creating and orchestrating their transition game.