Danny Ainge: Boston Celtics veterans all talking about Terry Rozier after his 'fantastic' training camp

A Sherrod wrote:WALTHAM, Mass. – Terry Rozier was pegged by most NBA experts as a late first-round pick in the draft who could potentially slip into the early part of the second round.

So when the Celtics selected him with the 16th overall pick in June, it was seen as an improbable landing spot considering the depth Boston has in its backcourt.

Training camp is less than a week old, but the 6-foot-2 Rozier has already turned heads with his end-to-end speed to not only race up and down the court, but potentially up the Celtics’ depth chart.

Rozier has been impressive in camp thus far and was among the players to stand out in Boston’s open practice for season ticket holders on Tuesday.

Playing for the GREEN team, Rozier saw the WHITE team take a 45-44 lead and immediately came down and drained a 3-pointer that put them back ahead 47-45.

Even on the floor full of veterans, Rozier didn’t hesitate to look for his shot.

It wasn’t just his scoring or defense that turned heads.

More than anything else, he looks comfortable and confident in games – something you seldom hear when talking about a rookie who wasn’t a top-10 pick.

“Just trying to learn the pace of the game here,” Rozier told CSNNE.com. “It’s definitely different than college. But I have a lot of veterans who have been helping me out. It’s been fun so far.”

Rozier was seen as a potential impact player defensively, something he is learning about first-hand from Avery Bradley and Marcus Smart who are among the better perimeter defenders in the NBA.

Joining them in an already crowded Celtics backcourt is Isaiah Thomas who came to Boston via trade from Phoenix in February and led the Celtics in scoring with 16.4 points per game (that number rises to 19.0 points per game if you just factor in the 21 games he played in Boston).

That’s a lot of proven talent that Rozier has to compete against, which is why the likelihood of him seeing action looks slim.

Then again, the odds of him being selected so high in June’s draft weren’t all that great, either.

Because of Boston’s backcourt depth, Rozier is expected to spend very little time on the floor this season with the Celtics. Instead, he’ll likely spend a few stints with Boston’s Development League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws.

But there’s one problem.

Rozier apparently didn’t get that memo.

While he’s open to the idea of playing in the D-League, his focus remains on doing whatever he can to earn playing time with the Celtics this season.

“I’m competitive as hell,” he said. “In the locker room, it’s all love at the end of the day. But between the lines and practice, it’s fighting for minutes. This is our job; we all have families to feed. We all know what it is; we’re being competitive, that’s all.”