Marcus Smart and Terry Rozier will help get the most out of each other for the Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics have remarkable depth, and competition all over their roster. Everyone is going to have to earn their minutes, and it will be a struggle for anyone coming off the bench.
Right now, both Terry Rozier and Marcus Smart know their roles are solidified. They are the two strongest players off the bench, and they will be battling every single game for minutes.
Both of them will be a phenomenal source of motivation to the other, because they will push the standard of what it takes to get minutes as much as possible.
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Smart just got his contract, and Rozier is going to be fighting for his. The Celtics will have to make decisions about the future of their back court, and there could be a dilemma with Rozier.
Rozier knows that if he falls too far behind, and Smart takes over most of the ball handling duties off the bench, then he will not be a part of their future plans, and will see his value on the open market plummet.
Both of them play with fierce energy and intensity, and neither of them will want to fall behind the other in that respect. They are both great teammates, so the battle for minutes should not have negative issues.
Even so, having both of them come off the bench is a special luxury for the Celtics. We have seen the kind of explosive offensive burst Rozier can bring, and Smart might be the most important defender on the team.
Both of them will have a role no matter what, but there are only so many minutes to go around. Both of them could be candidates for a sixth man of the year run, and they expand a lot of options for the Celtics.
They will also get solid minutes with the first unit, and the trust there is with them could make all the difference.
What we do know, is that if Rozier starting struggling on offense, then Smart’s defense will eat up all his minutes. If, for the first time in his career, Smart starts to fall off on defense, then he will not be able to do enough on offense to keep getting the most important minutes.
What is great about both of them is there is trust. Rozier is trusted on offense because he knows how to run things and has unprecedented ball protection. Smart is trusted because he is the most versatile and dominant defensive guard in the NBA.
Both of them have enough trust to keep significant minutes, but if either of them fall off in the areas that establish that trust, they will go to the other option.
Keeping the trust is how they are going to push each other the most. Both of them know that the more important minutes will go to the player that they trust the most. Smart has a clear advantage right now, but Rozier has more upside with his offense.
It will be a lot of fun seeing how the season plays out for the two of them, because it will have to be something special in order to get the minutes that they are looking for.