Terry Rozier is Playing Incredible, But it’s Bad for Celtics Fans
Terry Rozier is a Straight Up Stud
Eric Bledsoe may act like he doesn’t know who Terry is, but trust me, he knows who’s been schooling his punk ass so far in this playoff series. Bledsoe is one of the biggest NBA bitches this league has, but that’s an article for another day. In the first two games of the playoffs, Rozier is averaging 23 points against this Bucks team. Pretty damn good for a young guy who was considered third in the point guard depth chart behind Kyrie Irving and Marcus Smart earlier in the season. With those two guys out currently, Scary Terry is the lead ballhandler for the Celtics this postseason.
Terry isn’t New to Stepping Up
Kyrie and Smart both missed extended periods of time during the season which resulted in Rozier starting 16 games for Boston. In his first career start, he put the entire NBA on notice by destroying the Knicks with a triple double to go with it. In those starts, Terry was able to average about 16 points per game. Even beyond the counting stats, just watching him is enough to know he makes a very legitimate impact. At the very beginning of this season on a small radio show I used to talk on, I mentioned how Rozier at his max potential can be just a step under Kyrie Irving in regard to his ability and playstyle. Entering these playoffs, I think it’s safe to say he’s matched that praise.
Why is this Bad?
If you’re a Celtics fan, and I’m one of the biggest there is, you probably think I’m an idiot for saying it could be bad in any way for Rozier to be playing this lights out. Sure, it’s great for the playoffs currently since he’ll be helping the Celtics get wins and have one of the biggest parts in doing so. If not for Terry, the Celtics would have to rely on Shane Larkin currently and I don’t think he is someone they could have had too much success with on his own. A deep playoff run for this Celtics team could be due to the play of Terry Rozier more than anyone else on this young squad. What his success means is that he is growing his value through the roof.
Over half of the teams in the league would love to be able to claim Terry Rozier III as their starting point guard.
With this said, Terry probably went from making about 6-8 million when he’s up for his next contract to about 16-20 million. Not this upcoming offseason, but the one after is when Terry up for a new contract. The Celtics must pay Kyrie that same offseason and will still have Hayward and Horford’s contracts on the table. They simply cannot pay Rozier without going into the extreme luxury tax and I really doubt they would that for him. Ideally, Boston will resign Marcus Smart this offseason for around 12 million and that’ll lead them to have to decide on Scary Terry. If they aren’t willing to pay him as much as he deserves, Danny Ainge will need to break his own heart and trade him. I never want to see “Rozier III” on the back of another team’s jersey, but it more than likely needs to happen.
What Team Fits Terry the Best?
I can only judge this looking at team’s current rosters. Terry is so versatile that he could honestly fit on any roster in the league. I’ve decided to narrow it down to three teams that I believe are the best fits for Terry Rozier.
San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs are a very intriguing team right now with all of the Kawhi Leonard drama that’s been going on. Put that on top of Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili being ridiculously old and it looks like this team could be seeing some major changes happening soon. Honing in on the point guard position, Parker will be out of the league soon making an immediate spot for Rozier. I am a big fan of Dejounte Murray, but I think Terry is a better and more effective player. Murray would be a better fit as a 6th man on that team as he could annihilate backup defenses. Rozier is the better shooter of the two anyways. I don’t think we’d hear many complaints going from Brad Stevens to Greg Popovich either.
Indiana Pacers
I just see Rozier playing alongside Oladipo perfectly. Darren Collison is pretty good, but if Terry were given the same minutes as Collison, he’d have substantially better numbers. Oladipo and Rozier have scary similar playstyles that would be a great compliment to each other. If VO (Victor Oladipo) is ever having an off night, Terry would be able to pick up his slack with ease. Accompany them with growing big man Myles Turner and you have a sneaky big 3 that could make some damage in the east.
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Timberwolves have a defensive minded head coach in Tom Thibodeau. Anyone who has watched Rozier at all knows that he lays it all out on the floor on the defensive end. Put that on top of their current point guard Jeff Teague being a bit of a letdown and Scary Terry seems like just the guy to compliment Karl Anthony Towns and Jimmy Butler. Right now, they’re a good team, but in the Western Conference being just good won’t get you through the dreaded playoffs. Terry has the nuts to step up against big powerhouse opponents and not fold in the moment *cough* Karl Anthony Towns *cough*. Terry would also just look great in that neon green uni.
Moral of the Story: Cherish Terry Rozier while You Can
-Brandon Black (Follow @bhblack02)