Learning curve
Rozier becomes wiser in second season
The early question about Terry Rozier’s playing time this season appears to be how much, not if.
The Celtics point guard received invaluable exposure and experience during the playoffs last spring against Atlanta, and followed that up with a leading role in summer league. With
Marcus Smart flexible enough to play all three perimeter spots, Rozier appears set to step in as the backup point guard.
Count on a more aggressive approach this time around.
“Oh, yeah. Definitely. Just trying to get better, and just see my spots,” said Rozier. “And just be smarter as a player.
“It probably (started) when the season ended last year. I did a lot of thinking. I wanted to clear my mind for a little bit, then I started watching film and seeing what areas I could improve on and things like that,” he added. “I kept it in my mind going into summer league, how can I be aggressive from that point on. I just try to keep it in my mind.”
Those three weeks in Utah and Las Vegas, in turn, paid quite a dividend.
“Well, going into my second summer league I felt like I had more knowledge,” he said. “Just being around the game and learning your routines, and just learning from other guys that you’re around. You feel like you pick up on a lot of stuff. That year had a lot of ups and downs, but at the end of the day you’re still learning. So it’s a lot of fun. I’m just excited for the season.”
And like any young player heading into his second season, Rozier can sense the game slowing down.
“It’s like if I’m using a pick-and-roll, and I’m just seeing what’s in front of me, and I feel like I have to make a move real fast instead of just going off the screen, slowing my mind down and seeing if one of my teammates is open behind me,” he said. “Just seeing my options instead of just feeling like I’m rushed. That’s one of the reasons, once I slow my mind down and see what the options are, it makes it better on me.”
Rozier naturally sees the void left behind by Evan Turner, now with Portland, and has sized up the available playing time.
“I really want them all,” he said of those open minutes. “But I’m just waiting patiently, trying to get better, learning a lot of things. And just waiting for that time to come. It’s almost here so we’ll see what happens.”
What can you do for Brown?
One benefit of Rozier playing in his second summer league was the opportunity to get in some work with rookie Jaylen Brown.
Speaking of what he told the rookie, Rozier said, “Just play hard. You’re never in the wrong if you play hard. You might not know a lot of things going against guys that have been in the league for a while and are smarter than you, but if you play hard it can cover a lot of ground for you.”
Though Brown is young, Celtics coach Brad Stevens already can see versatility in the rookie’s game, especially on defense.
“You have to figure out what you can do to have value at this age and stage and the defensive versatility is a big part of that and figuring out where his places are to cut and build off of that and go,” Stevens said. “Sometimes with a guy that age, there’s a desire to do everything and everybody wants them to do everything, and I think simplifying it is probably a better route. So he’s done well so far.”
Same old Smart
Smart’s sheer energy continues to be a dominant topic.
“You just know he’s there. He is a presence on the floor at both ends,” said Stevens. “He’s played well the first (four) days of camp.”
Smart has also helped set a very aggressive tone that has only a little to do with competition for spots, according to the Celtics coach.
“I don’t see them waning in their competitiveness once the rotations are established,” said Stevens. “I think that’s just who they are. Smart and
Isaiah ( Thomas) and Avery ( Bradley), those guys played 30 minutes plus a game last year and they’re just as competitive as anyone else, so it’s not about necessarily the rotation part of it, it’s just who they are.”