is rozier really ready

[acieEarl]

I think you gotta give him some minutes this year. The problem maybe finding those minutes. Cs need to  see what he's got. We got a crowded backcourt but I'm thinking he could take Turner's minutes. Big year for Rozier and Hunter.

[incoherent]

Rozier is ready to help lead the OKC tank.

[Eddie20]

is he ready to run the team 20 minutes a night and work

does he have the court vision and dribbling skills of an elite point guard

Those are two very different questions.

[loco_91]

Rozier is ready for a role as a fourth guard. He isn't going to be a consistent source of offense, though, and I'm guessing that he'll play mostly off-ball when he's paired with Smart or IT. But he's ready to contribute as an 8th man.

[LilRip]

I think you gotta give him some minutes this year. The problem maybe finding those minutes. Cs need to  see what he's got. We got a crowded backcourt but I'm thinking he could take Turner's minutes. Big year for Rozier and Hunter.

Um, wat?

If Hunter makes the roster, I'd say he's already exceeded my expectations.

[chiken Green]

I think Rozier is ready to make a positive step.. Last year the thing that separated TR from  the other rookies was his ability to make a quick decision, to not stall the offense when he was out with the big boys.. I feel like that is something that was drilled into the young kids, be fast with your decisions or sit the bench.. This is why I think Rozier never really allowed for plays to develop.. 

With the coach behind him and the game slowing down for him just a touch, I think we will see improvements in those "point guard" things you guys are asking for.

[kraidstar]

Funny thing... I was explaining to my buddy about Celtics Blog, he's not a basketball fan and has limited knowledge about the game.

I said something about how you can tell when a player is playing at a completely different level than the guys around him.

He said "yeah, like that guy at the 'lobster claws' game we went to last year. He was just so much faster, he was dancing around like it was ballet or something, it was impressive, he was just moving different than everybody else."

My friend was referring to Terry Rozier.

Watch Rozier change speeds. Watch his shiftiness in the lane. Watch the explosiveness. Watch how he anticipates on defense with court vision that seems to track every opposing player on the floor.

The tools are all there. He should be a better slasher than anybody on the team not named Jaylen Brown. And if he can improve his spot-up shooting he will be very good.

[walker834]

That's a good point Rozier is shifty and changes speed really well.  That's the thing that really could separate him from just being ok to being something special.  Both he and smart remind me of running backs sometimes.  Different styles.  If they didn't play basketball they'd both probably be really good runningbacks or linebackers.  They do things on defense too that reminds me of hightower and other linebackers. Really just good athletes in general. Still learning how to play in ways.

[Ed Hollison]

The thing that really popped out to me during summer league was his ballhandling, especially in the full court. He generally dealt with full court pressure well, with a couple of hiccups. If he’s going to be the primary ballhandler in the second unit, basically replacing Turner, he can’t be shaky in that area. He’s going to have to bring the ball up against intense full court pressure on occasion. If you ask me he showed a lot of poise and ability in summer league in this area, but you’ll have to see how he does in preseason and regular season games before being sure.

I think he and Smart can be a really solid tandem of kind of “1.5 guards”. Neither is really a “true” point, but both can handle the ball decently and make the right pass in an offense where no single player dominates the ball. If one is facing a really tough defender in terms of ball pressure, he can just dump it off to the other one. On defense, Smart is big enough to guard big guards that Rozier can’t. The only question is whether or not the shooting is good enough with that backcourt, but Rozier looks like he’s really worked on his 3-point shot (I'm somewhat confident Smart will be better this season too), and even if they’re subpar in that area, you can live with that from your second unit. I’m sure Stevens is already considering this and we’ll see a heavy dose of this combination in the preseason as a trial.

[Rosco917]

The point guard position has changed in the NBA, as much as the Center position. No longer are PG's floor Generals who score little, and hand out assists. If fact the old style PG's are disappearing, having difficulty finding jobs.

Todays PG has a responsibility to get the ball safely over half court, and then initiate a ball movement offense, or be part of a fast break. He has a job to score the ball, as much as any player on the floor, without dominating it.

Rozier, while admittedly is not a great passer, is showing signs he will be a modern day scoring point for the right system. Another step or two, and he will have "starter" potential. 

[Vermont Green]

Rozier is on a good trajectory based on last season and this summer league.  He is probably ahead of where Bradley was after one season and maybe Smart too (Smart had injuries that I think set him back).  If he continues on the trajectory I think he will pass Avery Bradley at some point which is pretty good.

He definitely has the court speed necessary to be good but so far not all the skills and IQ/court vision.  The problem is that you never know where a player is going to level off.  If I had to bet, I would say he will be a starter on some team at some point.

[dannyboy35]

I think there's a chance rozier could end up being ahead of smart. Better shot, handle, can stay with pgs better. Neither have good instincts for the pg position really. If that happened I think it would be mid to late season though. I just see a higher ceiling for rozier.

[clover]

Rozier is ready for a role as a fourth guard. He isn't going to be a consistent source of offense, though, and I'm guessing that he'll play mostly off-ball when he's paired with Smart or IT. But he's ready to contribute as an 8th man.

I don't think they'll screw him up playing him off-ball much at all. He's learning to run the team as an inside, outside and passing threat just fine. I think by midyear he'll have had enough experience really running a team at this level (though yes, with the second unit as long as IT stays healthy) to be recognized as a starting caliber PG.

Most people forget that Rondo was the starting PG on a championship team his second year in the league at age 22. He had only started 22 games as a rookie, the year before--when both Telfair and West got more starts.

The C's only won 24 teams in Rondo's rookie year and he got about about four times as many minutes of playing time as TRoz did last year, so TRoz is probably about half a season behind Rondo's trajectory. They of course have very different games, but TRoz IMO has at least as much potential as Rondo had and is on as good a path as Rondo was at the equivalent time.

[dannyboy35]

Rozier is ready for a role as a fourth guard. He isn't going to be a consistent source of offense, though, and I'm guessing that he'll play mostly off-ball when he's paired with Smart or IT. But he's ready to contribute as an 8th man.

I don't think they'll screw him up playing him off-ball much at all. He's learning to run the team as an inside, outside and passing threat just fine. I think by midyear he'll have had enough experience really running a team at this level (though yes, with the second unit as long as IT stays healthy) to be recognized as a starting caliber PG.

Most people forget that Rondo was the starting PG on a championship team his second year in the league at age 22. He had only started 22 games as a rookie, the year before--when both Telfair and West got more starts.

The C's only won 24 teams in Rondo's rookie year and he got about about four times as many minutes of playing time as TRoz did last year, so TRoz is probably about half a season behind Rondo's trajectory. They of course have very different games, but TRoz IMO has at least as much potential as Rondo had and is on as good a path as Rondo was at the equivalent time.

I'd disgrace that Roxier has anywhere near rondo potential but I'd love to be wrong!

[dannyboy35]

Gah. Typos