Author Topic: Rozier standing out in camp  (Read 4602 times)

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Rozier standing out in camp
« on: September 30, 2016, 11:03:36 AM »

Offline Eddie20

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Quote
Chris Forsberg-

Hey bulldog: Terry Rozier distinguishing himself early in Celtics camp

WALTHAM, Mass. -- Even amid the on-court chaos of media day, with players shuttling all over the team's practice facility, there was something about Terry Rozier that caught the eye of Boston Celtics general manager and president of basketball operations Danny Ainge.

Near the end of his five-hour media marathon, Rozier had managed to put back in one of his diamond earrings. Ainge spotted it while Rozier was waiting for an on-camera interview, and he gave the second-year guard some playful grief, including posting Rozier's picture on social media.

"I think when [Ainge] drafted me, he kinda figured that he had a bulldog," said Rozier. "When he saw the ice in my ear, it probably threw him off a little bit. But I told him, ‘Let me have my last day. Training camp I got you. I’m going to get after guys.'"

True to his promise, 22-year-old Rozier has emerged as one of the early standouts at Celtics camp. Both coach Brad Stevens and All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas offered unsolicited praise of Rozier on Thursday -- echoing what others have said all week -- with Stevens noting, "Terry’s a different guy in Year 2 than he was in the first couple of days in Year 1. It just stands out right now."

Rozier, the No. 16 pick in the 2015 draft, struggled to carve out a consistent role during his rookie season. But when Avery Bradley suffered a hamstring injury in Game 1 of an Eastern Conference first-round playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks, Rozier showed some intriguing potential. He carried that right into summer league, where he was unquestionably Boston's most rotation-ready player during stints in Utah and Las Vegas.

Now Rozier must fight for minutes in a crowded backcourt, in which Thomas and Bradley are the incumbent starters and Marcus Smart is pegged as a key reserve. Still, there's guard minutes to be had, especially as the Celtics try to fill the void left by Evan Turner, who often served as the primary ball handler with the second unit before cashing in with the Portland Trail Blazers.

Rozier acknowledges that while playing against the likes of All-Star Thomas, All-Defense first-teamer Bradley, and defensive hound Smart each day, he has no choice but to improve as a player. Rozier also is hell-bent on showing that Ainge and the Celtics were justified when they rolled the dice on the Louisville guard after he was projected as a late-first-round selection in the 2015 draft.

"That’s one of the things that I think about a lot," said Rozier. "I told [Ainge] when I talked to him on the phone after the draft, ‘Thank you for changing my life. You won’t regret it.’ That’s what I told him. I’m just slowly trying to make progress, but it’s a process. That’s what it is. I’m just going to keep fighting and keep going."

Stevens, no stranger to bulldogs after his time at Butler University, likes what he has seen from Rozier.

"The biggest thing that I’ve always said about Terry is he’s going to improve because the guy works," said Stevens. "From the minute we met him in the draft process, it was like there are work ethics and there are real work ethics. And he’s got a real one. And so I think he’ll do well."

What distinguishes Rozier on the court is his speed. He has an ability to find another gear and really accelerate with the ball. While he's only 6-foot-2, he showed an ability to rebound the basketball last season, thanks to his springy hops. As the game slows down for Rozier, Stevens believes he'll be better able to showcase his talents.

"Things move really fast for everybody. When you’re the guy with the ball, it moves even faster, because you’ve got to be able to not only gauge what you need to be doing but you need to make sure everybody else is there," said Stevens. "And [Rozier has] got the ball a lot. I think he’s doing a really good job of attacking and picking his spots to attack."

Rozier played only 311 minutes in 39 regular-season appearances last season. He got more overall floor time in 14 appearances with the Maine Red Claws of the D-League, where he posted a solid stat line (19.4 points, 7.8 assists, 6.4 rebounds, 1.9 steals). But it was 99 minutes of playoff basketball that seemed to really accelerate his development.

"It was a big boost," said Rozier. "Any chance a rookie gets to go play in the playoffs, that should be a boost going into summer league. That should be a boost for the rest of your career. That’s something that a lot of rookies can’t say they did. It definitely is a confidence booster and I just want to keep building from that."

During his summer downtime, Rozier went back and watched film of his first NBA season. He cringed at rookie mistakes but promised not to make them again.

"I didn’t feel like I had a bad season. I just noticed a lot of areas for improvement," said Rozier. "I was filling myself with a lot of info on how can I get better going into summer league, going into this year. ... Just, how can I improve?"

Whatever notes he took must have worked. Multiple Boston players have gone out of their way to commend Rozier for his progress, including Marcus Smart, who said, "We've got guys coming off the bench like Terry Rozier, who's been real good in the offseason. And as you guys saw in summer league, he's been playing his butt off."

As Al Horford added, "I was encouraged by Terry as well. He’s looked really good all [September]. It just excites me to see that a lot of these guys are making progress in their game."

Yes, at least for the start of training camp, Rozier seems to be shining as bright as that earring.

Re: Rozier standing out in camp
« Reply #1 on: September 30, 2016, 11:15:49 AM »

Online BitterJim

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Wow, the comment by Horford is definitely encouraging.  You kind of expect comments like that from the guys that have played with him for a year, but Horford hasn't.  That's a pretty good sign that he's looked good in practice or drills.  Hopefully it translates and he plays a real role this year, improvement from a guy like that would secure our guard rotation both when healthy or in case of another injury like vs the Hawks

Plus we could really use his rebounding  :P
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Re: Rozier standing out in camp
« Reply #2 on: September 30, 2016, 11:21:31 AM »

Offline makaveli

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i just absolutely love his rebounding, top of the league in that department, that is basiclly all you could make out out of his rookie season, that is there surely, but you could also see a lot of potential in other areas like defending, running the floor, midrange and driving. very excited about him :)
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Re: Rozier standing out in camp
« Reply #3 on: September 30, 2016, 11:22:02 AM »

Offline Big333223

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Great. Hopefully his shooting is improving as well. I think being able to play him and Smart together could mean some of the best bench defense in the NBA.
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Re: Rozier standing out in camp
« Reply #4 on: September 30, 2016, 02:00:33 PM »

Offline TheSundanceKid

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Gotta build that trade value  ;D

Re: Rozier standing out in camp
« Reply #5 on: September 30, 2016, 03:20:32 PM »

Offline clover

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Great. Hopefully his shooting is improving as well. I think being able to play him and Smart together could mean some of the best bench defense in the NBA.

I remember Stevens last year saying he wasn't worried about TRoz's shooting, since he'd seen him in practice all year.

Re: Rozier standing out in camp
« Reply #6 on: September 30, 2016, 03:21:50 PM »

Offline LarBrd33

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Maybe Rozier ends up the Rondo to Smart's Telfair.   

Also, a key part of the article is this: 

Quote
Rozier acknowledges that while playing against the likes of All-Star Thomas, All-Defense first-teamer Bradley, and defensive hound Smart each day, he has no choice but to improve as a player

That's what I'm talking about in regards to Jaylen Brown.  Expectations are relatively low for him with most pundits feeling he's got a ceiling, but playing in this environment against quality defenders daily hopefully increases his ceiling substantially. 
« Last Edit: September 30, 2016, 03:29:34 PM by LarBrd33 »

Re: Rozier standing out in camp
« Reply #7 on: September 30, 2016, 03:23:33 PM »

Offline clover

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Maybe Rozier ends up the Rondo to Smart's Telfair.

Smart's at least more valuable than Telfair, but yeah.

Re: Rozier standing out in camp
« Reply #8 on: September 30, 2016, 03:26:41 PM »

Offline LarBrd33

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Maybe Rozier ends up the Rondo to Smart's Telfair.

Smart's at least more valuable than Telfair, but yeah.
We gave up a #7 pick for Telfair.  We used a #6 pick on Smart.   Meanwhile, the guy taken in the mid-to-late 1st ended up leap-frogging him.   

Re: Rozier standing out in camp
« Reply #9 on: September 30, 2016, 03:26:47 PM »

Offline clover

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Wow, the comment by Horford is definitely encouraging.  You kind of expect comments like that from the guys that have played with him for a year, but Horford hasn't.  That's a pretty good sign that he's looked good in practice or drills.  Hopefully it translates and he plays a real role this year, improvement from a guy like that would secure our guard rotation both when healthy or in case of another injury like vs the Hawks

Plus we could really use his rebounding  :P

After one day of camp last year, when asked who'd impressed him, AJ's answer was Rozier. Danny also said on media day this year that they'd seen what TRoz could do from the start of training camp last season, and the only reason he thought we hadn't seen more of it last year in games was a combination of the logjam they had at the guard position with how hard it is for a rookie with spot minutes to get a rhythm going.

Just take a look at the jump Danny himself made from his rookie to sophomore year--and I think we see what he thinks TRoz is capable of.

Re: Rozier standing out in camp
« Reply #10 on: September 30, 2016, 04:13:43 PM »

Offline droopdog7

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Dude plays hard and has talent for sure.  But he'll need to continue to work on his PG skills.  Don't want another SG in a PG's body.

Re: Rozier standing out in camp
« Reply #11 on: September 30, 2016, 05:06:23 PM »

Offline LarBrd33

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Dude plays hard and has talent for sure.  But he'll need to continue to work on his PG skills.  Don't want another SG in a PG's body.
Hopefully he can develop a consistent shot.   He only shot 39% in D-League last season (33% from three).  He showed some signs in SUmmer league, but neither of those leagues are reflective of the competition level faced in the NBA.

Re: Rozier standing out in camp
« Reply #12 on: September 30, 2016, 05:08:38 PM »

Offline 86MaxwellSmart

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I really like Rozier----he seems to get it, plus he has a Sneaky-Killer Shot...not afraid to take the big shot/3 pointer.
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Re: Rozier standing out in camp
« Reply #13 on: September 30, 2016, 05:11:04 PM »

Offline dreamgreen

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I'm betting on him to be the most improved player on the team. I predict a lot of small ball with him out there playing guard and Smart playing the 3. Rozier, AB, Smart will be undersized for sure but they will be a fast tenacious group! 8)

Re: Rozier standing out in camp
« Reply #14 on: September 30, 2016, 05:45:00 PM »

Offline Denis998

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Who is better, Terry or Kris Dunn. Kris is almost exactly a year older. I think there is discussion to be had here. Even in summer league Terry was arguably better.