Will Terry Rozier finish this season as a member of the Celtics? That depends on who you believe. The Boston point guard broke out last season in place of injured teammates Kyrie Irving and Marcus Smart. He showed that he is definitely an NBA player, but is he someone that should be playing major minutes? Rozier of course believes he is, but so far with the Celtics this season his role has been reduced. He’s not the key player he was last season.
Reports came out that Rozier was unhappy with his playing time in Boston and teams had expressed interest in trading for him. Rozier was asked about these rumors and decided to put them to bed. Sort of. He didn’t seem disappointed that teams were interested in him, but he tried to play off his frustration with playing time.
“If you know me,” says Terry Rozier, “I’d never be one to complain about playing time.”
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) November 8, 2018
Terry Rozier smiled when asked about the seven teams @ShamsCharania said were reportedly interested in him: “That’s how it should be. It should be more.”
“I’m just blessed to be putting on this uniform, represent this organization every day. So I have no complaints.”
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) November 8, 2018
Whether Rozier is actually frustrated with his playing time is something nobody besides the Celtics and Rozier know for sure. He could be perfectly content in his bench role playing 22 minutes per game. That’s only three minutes less than the 25 minutes per game he averaged last season.
However, a better question might be is what is the value of Rozier as a player? We know he’s at worst a solid backup point guard, but can he be more than that? He showed flashes of more last season, but he’s always going to be limited in Boston when Irving and Smart are also there. Rozier isn’t going to admit to being unhappy with his playing time, but he likely believes that last season showed what he’s capable of. If teams across the league believe the sample size is legitimate, and he can be something more, then it doesn’t hurt to call Boston up and see what he might be available for.
Teams in rough point guard situations such as the Suns, or someone looking to get younger such as the Cavaliers, are potential trade targets. However, the Celtics aren’t going to just give him away for nothing. Whether Rozier finishes the year in Boston or not could completely depend on what his value is in the eyes of others. Rozier thinks he’s capable of being a starter. Does the rest of the NBA think the same?
