Celtics rookies Terry Rozier and R.J. Hunter ready for playoff spotlight

http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/celtics/post/_/id/4722854/celtics-rookies-terry-rozier-and-r-j-hunter-ready-for-playoff-spotlight



Celtics rookies Terry Rozier and R.J. Hunter ready for playoff spotlight


5:27 PM ET



Chris Forsberg
ESPN Staff Writer




ATLANTA -- Less than three months ago, Boston Celtics rookies Terry Rozier and R.J. Hunter were making the familiar trek north together to get game reps with the Maine Red Claws of the NBA Development League. When the Celtics resume their first-round playoff series with the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday, Rozier and Hunter could be thrust into key spots as the Celtics attempt to fill the void left by Avery Bradley's absence because of a hamstring injury.

Rozier and Hunter, Boston's two first-round picks in the 2015 draft at Nos. 16 and 28, respectively, played only sparingly this season due to Boston's well-stocked backcourt. Rozier and Hunter combined for a mere 626 minutes, which was about 2,000 fewer than what Bradley played in 76 appearances.

The Celtics are likely to elevate Marcus Smart to Bradley's starting role. But filling the rest of Bradley's minutes -- particularly if the team elects to go small with someone like Evan Turner playing heavier minutes with the first unit -- is likely to fall to one or both of the rookies.

Rozier and Hunter huddled at the team hotel in the aftermath of Saturday's Game 1 loss and talked about the opportunity in front of them. Hunter made a 2-minute, 43-second cameo in the second quarter with Boston desperate to add shooting to the floor, while Rozier was a healthy DNP. Celtics coach Brad Stevens told both players to be ready moving forward.

"[Hunter and I] talked about it all last night," Rozier said. "Me and him got kind of the same mindset, we just always gotta be ready if our number and name is called. We talked about that a lot last night. We’re confident in each other and we’re always supporting one another because we came in together. We know it’s big for us. These next few days are very important."


Terry Rozier said he wants to speed up the Celtics' tempo during their playoff series against the Hawks. Chris Szagola/AP Photo


Stevens said that either of the rookies, as well as second-year guard James Young, could see time in Bradley's absence. Rozier has played pretty consistent minutes since mid-March, distinguishing himself with his speed and raw athleticism. He's a springy guard whose rebounding ability alone has made him valuable on the floor.

Hunter saw most of his time at the start of the year when Bradley and Smart were nipped by the injury bug. He shot just 30.2 percent beyond the 3-point arc (19-of-63), but distinguished himself with his basketball IQ. His inability to consistently knock down shots likely pushed Rozier ahead of him on the depth chart, but the Celtics desperately need additional shooting in this series (and Rozier shot just 27.4 percent overall this season).

Stevens has expressed confidence that both players will eventually knock down shots. Heck, you need only look at Bradley's first season in the league to remember that even good shooters struggle to make shots in their first year at the NBA level. Regardless of whether shots start falling now, Boston needs Rozier and Hunter to make a positive impact when they get on the floor and not be overwhelmed by the moment.

How can Rozier help replace Bradley?

"Defense -- just keeping the guy in front of me. Definitely rebounding more at the guard spot. And pushing the ball," Rozier said. "I just want to push the pace. I know Coach loves when I push the pace, loves when we play fast. He doesn’t like when we play slow, so I think I can help doing that."

Added Rozier: "It clicked in my mind, right from [Bradley's injury], that my opportunity is here. I may be able to play. Coach came up to me and said, ‘Just be ready.’ Then he came up to me after the game and said, ‘Get some rest and be ready to play.’ That’s something that, like I said, these two days are very important for me. I just want to take my mind off a lot of things and be ready to play."

Hunter, who's in familiar surroundings after playing three seasons at Georgia State University, said he wasn't overwhelmed by being thrust into Game 1 and will be ready if he's called on again moving forward.

"Honestly, I swear it was like every other game," Hunter said. "I think if you try to hype it up as different, you start to think about other stuff. So I just treated it as any game."

Asked if it felt any different on the court, Hunter added, "Not particularly. I was so locked into what I had to do. I didn’t feel like it was louder or it was a more intense game. I just thought it was a regular game, honestly."

Is Hunter more comfortable after being around the team for much of the regular season?

“Absolutely. I’ve been comfortable for a while now," he said. "The game has slowed down a little bit, but I’ve been comfortable. I don’t really fear anybody in the league at this point."

Rozier seems the more likely of the two to get bigger minutes, and his teammates have confidence in him after what he showed late in the regular season.

"I thought he did some of his best moves down the stretch," Turner said. "I thought the best game he played was against the Lakers, and he went in transition and they didn’t move. I was like, congratulations, welcome to the league. That was the first move he did since I started playing with him that looked like a Terry move, where he didn’t think too much. He came off a couple of pick-and-rolls and hit some shots.

"I think our young guys have the mentality where they’re ready to play. This will be a great opportunity for their development. We’ll be fine; it’s a team thing. We trust everybody."



bob
MY NOTE:  Approximately 10 months ago we were all shaking our heads and wondering what the Hell Danny was thinking drafting a player whose profile was so similar to Bradley's.  What did it mean?  Did it mean Bradley was going to be traded?  Was he going to be the back up point guard?  What does that mean about Smart?  Furthermore, NOBODY was expecting Rozier to be drafted as high as he was.  EVERYBODY was thinking Danny made a big stretch taking him with #16.  Well, this is where we find out whether we are anywhere as near as smart as Danny and Brad.

RJ has to make his shots. Pure and Simple. His defense is good enough, what he needs to do is open the floor up by hitting his shots. He needs to be more aggressive on offense than he has been. He needs to move, cut and slash. He needs to force the Hawk defense to move and adjust. If they can just sit back there and wait for us then life is going to be very, very tough for penetrators like Thomas and Turner and even Rozier. RJ needs to make defenders come away from the painted area.


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Think you and I will long as many minutes as Young. beat