Terry Rozier, #16

by **bobheckler** Thu Jun 25, 2015 10:12 pm

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Terry-Rozier-58730/

6'2", 190#, 6'8" wingspan, 21 years old.

16. Celtics: Terry Rozier, 6’2” point guard (Louisville). This is unexpectedly high pick, he was expected to go late first and Boston is loaded with guards. Rozier is a guy that just knows how to score, and can do it working on or off the ball. His shot selection needs work, and he thinks shoot first, and his distribution skills improved but are still a work in progress. He’s pesky on defense when he wants to be, he just doesn’t always want to, but his defensive numbers are good. He could develop into a rotation player.

bob

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by **rambone** Fri Jun 26, 2015 12:08 am

2014-15 Terry Rozier Offensive Highlights

by **steve3344** Fri Jun 26, 2015 2:39 am

http://nesn.com/2015/06/terry-rozier-draft-pick-might-foreshadow-future-celtics-trade-activity/

by **rambone** Fri Jun 26, 2015 11:17 am

think we definitely needed an offensive upgrade in the starting lineup, and the biggest weakness was not having a PG who could get into the lane at will and make plays. Smart was not good at it, Bradley awful at it, and Turner was okay, but looked better than he was because we didn't have anybody better.

Rozier = Eric Bledsoe, AKA mini-Lebron or whatever. Bledsoe's measurements were identical to Rozier's across the board, and they both have the same tough, attacking, alpha mentality. Bledsoe was drafted like 17th without high expectations in a shallow draft.
"Pure point guard" skills are less important these days, and most of the top PGs are athletic freaks like Rozier with competent passing ability and an attacking, score first mentality.

The other thing about the PG position is, it's pretty much a position for young players these days. As we saw with Rondo's steep decline, the athleticism level at PG in the NBA is so high that a lot of PGs start losing their competitive edge by the time they hit 30 or before, and hyper-athletes like Rozier are able to make a big impact in the NBA at a very young age. Think Elfrid Payton, Dennis Schroder, Jordan Clarkson, Victor Olidipo, Damian Lillard, and others.

Other than Steph Curry and Chris Paul, almost every other top 15 point guard is hyper-athletic like Rozier. It's almost a pre-requisite these days.

The Lakers just drafted D'Angelo Russell 2ND overall, but that guy has middling athleticism and is going to get absolutely eaten alive on defense by the NBA's starting point guards. Russell also struggled when he played against good college teams, and got most of his production against second rate non-conference mid-majors.

So the way I see it, our starting lineup just got better with this pick, and amazingly, Rozier's defense is just as good as Avery Bradley's. That's a big plus for us.

And our shooters, guys like James Young and RJ Hunter, are going to get a lot more open looks than they would have without that key piece at point guard. So is Kelly Olynyk.

by **rambone** Fri Jun 26, 2015 2:52 pm

ESPN ranked the starting point guards recently.
http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/12563832/nba-espn-nba-forecast-ranks-nba-starting-point-guards-no-1-chris-paul-no-30-dante-exum

There's quite a few hyper-athletic starting PGs in the NBA who fit the same profile as Terry Rozier. Guys who were drafted behind higher skill guys like Tyus Jones who simply don't have the athleticism needed to excel at PG in the NBA.

RANK
1 Chris Paul
Clippers
2 Stephen Curry
Warriors
3 Russell Westbrook
Thunder
4 John Wall
Wizards
5 Mike Conley
Grizzlies
(T11)
6 Damian Lillard
Trail Blazers
7 Kyle Lowry drafted 24th
Raptors
8 Tony Parker drafted late first
Spurs
9 Kyrie Irving
Cavaliers
10 Jeff Teague drafted 19th
Hawks
11 Derrick Rose
Bulls
12 Ricky Rubio
Timberwolves
13 Goran Dragic drafted 45th
Heat
14 Eric Bledsoe drafted 18th
Suns
15 Ty Lawson drafted 18th
Nuggets
16 Jrue Holiday drafted 17th
Pelicans
17 Kemba Walker drafted 9th
Hornets
18George Hill drafted 26th
Pacers
19 Rajon Rondo drafted 21st
Mavericks
20 Darren Collison drafted 21st
Kings
21 Deron Williams
Nets
22 Jose Calderon undrafted
Knicks
23 Michael Carter-Williams drafted 11th
Bucks
24 Patrick Beverley drafted 42nd
Rockets
25 Reggie Jackson drafted 24th
Pistons
26 Marcus Smart
Celtics
27 Elfrid Payton
Magic
28 Jeremy Lin undrafted
Lakers
29 Isaiah Canaan 34th
76ers
30 Dante Exum
Jazz

by **swedeinestonia** Fri Jun 26, 2015 4:57 pm

Sad to see Rondo slip like that. He used to be considered a top X guard and one could argue the best "pass first" pg. I hope he finds his stride again as a Rondo at full motor was a true joy to watch.

by **worcester** Fri Jun 26, 2015 8:04 pm

I'm not one to count Tajin out. I expect he'll havea good year...unless he"s in LA. Russell is over rated as a 2 pick. I'm happy with Terry.

by **tjmakz** Fri Jun 26, 2015 8:23 pm

Rondo probably will have a pretty good bounce back year.
I'm quite sure it won't be with the Lakers, which is ok with me.
As for Russell, you can't think of him in the Westbrook, Wall mold.
He is more of a James Harden type of player with more of a pg mentality.
I don't know much about Rozier.
It seems like a stretch to take him at 16 but if he's the best player available to Boston, then they should take who they want, not who is next on the mock draft list.
I just wonder what last night did to change their master plan.
They still need to upgrade the roster and sign at least one star.
If they don't sign M. Gasol, D. Jordan, Aldridge or Love, or make a major trade, I don't see how they are making significant progress.

by **worcester** Fri Jun 26, 2015 8:34 pm

Same can be said of the Lakers.

by **tjmakz** Sat Jun 27, 2015 8:13 am

worcester wrote:Same can be said of the Lakers.

That is definitely true.
I do expect the Lakers will sign one or Sacramento lowers their asking price for Cousins.

I have never seen Rozier play.
Does anyone know if he really played pg in college?
I see he averaged only 2.4 apg while playing 27 minutes.

by **rambone** Sat Jun 27, 2015 11:27 am

Rozier played with other point guards on the floor for most of his college career. This past year he played SG primarily for the first half of the year, after spending most of the previous year at SG.
When Chris Jones got kicked off the team, Rozier became the point guard for the second half of the season.

He's not a pure point guard by any means, and won't blow you away with his decision making, but he's probably the best PG in this draft class at driving into the lane, because he's the quickest and the best athlete.

We need that ability more than we need a Rondo-type to hold the ball in his hands so much.

In this offense, Brad wants the ball being shared freely and passed around generously, and Rozier and Smart both can play with the ball and off the ball. It's a pretty cool combination, and I expect good results.

Rozier's ability to get into the lane at will is going to open up so many good shots that his lack of great vision and decision making will be more than made up for, and he'll improve those things over time.

Think of him as a Brett Favre kind of point guard, which is what Russell Westbrook is as well. Their pure point guard skills/game management might not be at the level of some others, but they simply make things happen. Favre threw a lot of interceptions, but he also threw a lot of touchdowns and ran for many more. He might not have managed games as well as a Tom Brady, but he still made tons of big plays, and could make plays with his feet that Brady could only dream about being able to do.

That's the kind of imprecise but exciting, and overall very productive style of PG play Rozier will bring.

by **rambone** Sat Jun 27, 2015 11:42 am

Here's a glowing scouting report:

Terry Rozier is extremely underrated. It’s not right that he is falling late in the 1st round in some mock drafts and even early in the 2nd in others. Rozier is an incredible offensive threat. He was the leader for Louisville offensively and had to do everything for them. No one else could create their own shot on that team. Terry Rozier is ready for the NBA and it’s only a matter of time before he gets serious playing time on a team.

I can’t wait to watch Rozier in the NBA Summer League. Terry has a grit about his game that is so incredible. Some have compared him to Dwyane Wade in the way he finishes and shoots the ball. Now, I’m not ready to call Terry Rozier a Hall of Famer yet, but he does have a similar arsenal to Wade. The FG% he had at Louisville has to be overlooked because of what was asked of him. The demand for his offensive game was too much at times. Rozier will have to learn to get others into the game as he hadn’t had the luxury of having good teammates around him. That will change.

Yes, it would have been nice to see Terry Rozier stay another year with the Cardinals to have the chance to be a lottery pick, but he didn’t have a choice. He declared for the NBA draft for his mother’s sake who had to work all day to get him through school. Coach Patino said it himself:

“Terry looks at home and sees his mom working two jobs, and she’s going 16, 17 hours a day,” Pitino told reporters Monday. “And he says, ‘OK, maybe I wouldn’t be drafted as high as I would be if I waited one more year, but I’d rather sacrifice that for my mom not having to work two jobs.’

I love what Patino says here, and it shows you what kind of character Terry Rozier has. He’s a smart kid and knows that he might be losing money and a chance at a higher pick next year by going into the draft now, but decides to declare for the draft because he doesn’t want his mother to work all day for him. That’s what I love about Terry.

I’ve compared Rozier to Jeff Teague because of his strong takes to the rim, great mid-range and average outside shot, and fine handles. I do believe Terry Rozier has a fantastic career ahead of him and while he won’t be one of the first guards drafted, he might very well have the best career out of all of them.

Future Professional Potential: Future All-Star

http://basketball-society.com/2015/06/22/society-scouting-report-terry-rozier/

by **worcester** Sat Jun 27, 2015 12:09 pm

That's my opinion of him too.

by **Sam** Sat Jun 27, 2015 1:29 pm

The Summer League could be more interesting than has been the case in years. Here's hoping there's a really competitive gathering of players to present a strong test of skills.

Sam

by **rambone** Sat Jun 27, 2015 2:21 pm

It's going to be very interesting to track the careers of all these first round point guards, especially since Danny passed on three of them in choosing Rozier at 16.

Starting in a couple weeks.

A big part of me wonders if Danny was so obsessed with moving up in the draft throughout the whole draft process that he failed to explore trade down opportunities to still land Rozier in the late teens or early 20s.

But Danny did have every reason to believe Rozier would be gone by 28, and it's not like we really need an extra second round pick or two for moving back from 16 a few spots.

by **bobheckler** Sat Jun 27, 2015 2:36 pm

rambone wrote:It's going to be very interesting to track the careers of all these first round point guards, especially since Danny passed on three of them in choosing Rozier at 16.

Starting in a couple weeks.

A big part of me wonders if Danny was so obsessed with moving up in the draft throughout the whole draft process that he failed to explore trade down opportunities to still land Rozier in the late teens or early 20s.

But Danny did have every reason to believe Rozier would be gone by 28, and it's not like we really need an extra second round pick or two for moving back from 16 a few spots.

This is an excerpt from a Forsberg column about Rozier:

Rozier is a hard sell to a fan base that got swept up in Ainge's pre-draft pledge to try to move up. He's a perceived reach. Sources indicated the Celtics debated the idea of moving down from 16, but feared that Rozier could be swooped up as early as No. 18 by the Houston Rockets (and there were teams intrigued in the 20s, including Rozier's hometown Cavaliers).

bob

.

by **rambone** Sat Jun 27, 2015 7:44 pm

This was Rozier's reaction to getting drafted at 16 to Boston:

Adam Himmelsbach
‏@AdamHimmelsbach
Just hung up with Terry Rozier. Had no idea he was being picked by the Celtics. Jumped in a pool in a suit at his draft party after picked.

by **cowens/oldschool** Sat Jun 27, 2015 7:58 pm

worcester wrote:That's my opinion of him too.

did you see him play?

rambone you add alot to this board, while we may not agree on everything, you definitely know the game.

by **Sam** Sat Jun 27, 2015 8:41 pm

When he jumped into that pool with a suit on, was he celebrating or trying to commit suicide? I assume it was the former.

One thing Rozier's selection does is to solidify the notion that Danny and Brad are thoroughly committed to speed as a Celtics way of life in the near-future. From what I read, he continues to remind me of Isaiah Thomas with more height and better defensive credentials.

Sam

by **bobheckler** Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:30 am

Ben Rohrbach @brohrbach
Facts about Terry Rozier:
- He’s scared of squirrels
- His favorite foods are spaghetti with ranch and sugar on it, honey buns & hot Cheetos
6:57 PM - 25 Jun 2015

bob

.

by **cowens/oldschool** Sun Jun 28, 2015 12:39 pm

swedeinestonia wrote:Sad to see Rondo slip like that. He used to be considered a top X guard and one could argue the best "pass first" pg. I hope he finds his stride again as a Rondo at full motor was a true joy to watch.

its easy to look good and ignore the weaknesses of a player when they are in a winning contending environment and surrounded by 3 Hall of Famers, imagine how great Chris Paul or Russell Westbrook would have looked playing with the Big 3?

by **hawksnestbeach** Sun Jun 28, 2015 3:56 pm

"did you see him play?

rambone you add alot to this board, while we may not agree on everything, you definitely know the game.

cowens/oldschool"
Rambone, Wanted to chime in with Cow on how much I like your insightful posts. To me, the Rozier pick shows DA knows we need a better pg, which we do. It may not be a bigger hole than center (although I like Zeller, think he'll improve), but we're not just one piece away. I'm curious what you think of Upshaw, as you mentioned him before his heart test became news. Hawk
Hawk

by **rambone** Sun Jun 28, 2015 5:25 pm

thanks for the kind words fellas.

I think the Lakers got a big-time steal in Upshaw. Especially since they passed on Okafor and Porzingis with the 2nd pick in the draft.

If Upshaw can keep his head on straight, I think they could make the playoffs this year.

But on the other hand, L.A. is the worst place in the world for recovering drug addicts. Any drug. Especially with money. Luckily for Upshaw, he'll probably be making minimum rookie salary, in the 6 figures I believe.

Still too much money for a rich, famous drug addict in Los Angeles.

That roster could self-destruct pretty easily though. Clarkson, Russell, and Randle all like to get as many shots as possible, and they'll all be expected by Kobe to defer to him.

I would hope that Upshaw hasn't/doesn't sign a real NBA contract with them yet. It would be great to outbid the Lakers for him after summer league.
One year, 1.5 million dollars, team option for second year.

by **worcester** Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:27 pm

What is Upshaw's heart problem?

by **NYCelt** Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:32 pm

worcester wrote:What is Upshaw's heart problem?

He appears to not have one.

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