Through the first six weeks of the 2017-18 regular season, the Boston Celtics have thoroughly dominated and currently reign supreme as the team with the best record in the NBA. This has been done without the likes of Gordon Hayward, as the team has had several different pieces step up to the plate – Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart and Jayson Tatum among them.
However, another player has gradually made the rounds within NBA circles in terms of becoming a valuable contributor, and he remains one of the more underrated talents in the league today: Terry Rozier.
Rozier’s spent much of his young career coming off the bench, but clearly recognizes what his end goal is in the future.
“I know in the future that I want to be a starter,” Rozier said, according to NBC Sports. “I’m going to be a starter. I came in. I played after Isaiah Thomas, and I’m playing after Kyrie (Irving) now, and that’s the only reason I don’t start. That’s how I’m looking at it. But I know I’ll be a starter in this league.
Celtics coach Brad Stevens has utilized Rozier in a bench role for the majority of his minutes, but Rozier has been given more minutes this season compared to his first two seasons. You’ll even see him play some crunch time minutes every so often in a Celtics’ small ball unit, more often if someone gets in foul trouble or is injured, however.
Rozier, 23, has averaged 9.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 23 minutes per contest. An effective defender who also provides a boost off the bench with his effort and rebounding, his shooting has remained a concern early in his career — he’s shot just 38 percent from the floor this season, a career-best, but certainly under average.
