Boston Celtics: Ball security Terry Rozier’s most important trait
Ball security will make sure Terry Rozier gets the opportunities he needs on the Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are going to have a lot of depth this season, with a bench cluttered with players that know they are capable of having a role. These players all bring different things and Brad Stevens will embrace using different pieces for any situation.
There is a lot of versatility, but the best part of the bench is that a lot of different players will be bringing different strengths. For Terry Rozier, the thing that can seperate him the most is his ball protection.
Rozier does a lot of other great things. He has remarkable athleticism and is an elite rebounder. He brings relentless energy and can be a trusted shooter. Where he excels the most, however, is how well he protects the ball, despite having a reputation of being out of control at times.
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With so much competition on the bench, mistakes could absolutely kill a player’s role. The moment you start to hurt the team in any way there will be options that can do a better job. Rozier may be a better scorer than he is a distributor, but he never hurts the team by turning it over.
Rozier can be trusted to instigate the offense because he will not stop the flow of what is going on. He can become ball dominant at times but the Celtics have seen him successfully run this offense.
Rozier is in position to be the number two ball handler on this team. The Celtics use Kyrie Irving as a score first ball handler, so they will always be able to function with a ball handler that is often thinking about scoring.
Rozier has the experience, and proven track record. He will go long stretches without turning the ball over, and his most remarkable run was in the playoffs last year in the role as primary ball handler on the team. Keep in mind, this is a player who has never had a season with more than a turnover per game, and he managed to be even better when all the pressure was on him in the playoffs.
The Celtics have to accept that Rozier can be streaky, and there are other things he needs to work on in order to maintain a significant role. Right now, however, the thing that separates him from anyone else is the best ball security on the entire team.
Trust has always been the most important thing in order to get minutes. The Celtics have seen what Rozier can do on defense, and his athleticism allows him to contribute on that end. With him, however, the offensive trust is more important.
The Celtics understand his role on defense and are able to use other versatility in order to make up for some issues. On offense, however, he is too prominent any time he is on the court to be a liability wit turnovers.
Rozier knows how important it is for him to maintain his role. He has a lot of things that he will be able to showcase, but he needs to make sure he keeps getting the opportunities. Rozier needs to show the Celtics how valuable he is in a contract or, while showcasing to other teams that he is true starter material.
With good ball security, Rozier will continue to get opportunities, then he will be able to dictate how much he is able to do this season. Rozier has put in a lot of work to get to the position he is in now.
He has paid his dues and made it clear that he deserves a role. Ball security is the reason he will be able to hold onto that role, and put the Celtics in a position where they will have to pay up if they want to keep him for the long term.