The Celtics enter the 2018-19 season with arguably the deepest backcourt in the NBA. Brad Stevens has four starting-caliber guards to work with on a nightly basis and an additional guard was an all-Euro League standout over the past couple years in Brad Wanamaker.
While all four top guards (Kyrie Irving, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, Terry Rozier) have stood out in their own individual ways during the first week of the preseason, it's hard to deny the most impressive among them to this point has been Rozier.
He's been among the team leaders in points (12), rebounds (four) and assists (three) per game despite playing under 20 minutes a contest in two matchups against the Hornets thus far. His efficiency has improved (66 percent on 2-point attempts) inside the arc, whether it be long twos or finishes around the rim. He's been one of the few Celtics that have been active on the defensive end (four steals) in both scrimmages and preseason games. Perhaps most importantly though, he's been the first man off the bench in both games thus far, a telltale sign about his standing in the C's rotation.
"I just have to figure out how to get him as many minutes as possible," Stevens acknowledged when asked about Rozier on Monday. "He’s tremendous. And, not only in the way he plays when you guys all see him in the games, but just the way he goes about his everyday business. He works as hard as anybody on our roster. It’s immediate energy; it’s noticeable when he’s in the game. That’s just one of those things that’s going to be important for our team moving forward. To his credit, all he’s done is come in and work and played. That’s all he usually does."
While leading into preseason stats is a dangerous game, it comes as no surprise Rozier is leading the Celtics in plus/minus (+22) by a healthy margin in the team's first two games. He's breathing life into the offense by pushing the ball and attacking the rim, instead of relying too heavily on his outside shot, something that was an issue at times last year, (see: Game 7 of Eastern Conference Finals)
“When I come in, I’m trying to change the game, trying to impact the game, trying to lift us all up, trying to fly around, be everywhere, get steals, stuff like that," Rozier explained. "That’s my goal. That’s my job. I think that’s all our goals coming off the bench: to pick up where the first string left off.”
The key difference for Rozier early this year, though, might be the change in confidence his teammates have in him. He carried the team in stretches throughout their postseason run to the Eastern Conference Finals and put up above-average numbers for a starting point guard for over three months once Irving went down. That type of production has All-Stars on the team eager to see him retain a crucial role.
"I actually think he's in a great position," Al Horford said of Rozier's standing this season. "He led our team in the playoffs as a point guard and that playoff experience -- there is nothing you can do to match it. I think you can play a lot of regular season games, be an All-Star, do all of those things, but when you play in the playoffs in big moments like he did, I think he's going to be fine. He understands what he needs to do, he comes in with a lot of energy, his confidence is high. He just needs to keep doing what he does. He'll be fine."
While the Celtics starting five struggles to find its footing at points over the first few weeks with Gordon Hayward working his way back into form, the juggling act will be tough at times for Stevens. Rozier may not be a name that comes up a lot as a crunch time five candidate but he's going to work his way into that conversation if he retains this level of consistency throughout camp.
"All 15 guys on every team want to play all 48 minutes, it’s just kinda the way that every season goes," Stevens said. "Obviously with guys back that have played increased minutes before, that’s going -- maybe challenging to them at times, if they play a little bit less. And don’t quite do what they did in games at times last year. But everybody is going to have their opportunity, everybody’s going to have enough time to shine. It’s just about being patient."
With Rozier entering a contract year, the temptation for him could be to focus on his individual numbers and accolades while a sizable payday awaits him in free agency. Yet when the prospect of any type of individual honor comes up, Rozier continues to shift the focus.
"I want to win," Rozier declared. "I want to win as a whole. I want the big trophy. If I get any individual goal as far as Sixth Man and all that, it’s good to have, but I think we can be very special, we can win the whole thing.”
The Celtics held onto Rozier this offseason and turned down multiple trade overtures for him since they didn't think any of them approached his true worth. That is looking like a wise bet one week into the NBA season.
Other practice news and notes:
- Al Horford returned to practice after sitting out Sunday with a sore right wrist. He is expected to play on Tuesday night against the Cavs.
- Kyrie Irving will get the night off against the Cavs on Tuesday after playing 29 minutes against the Hornets on Sunday.
- Stevens and players continued to emphasize the need for better defense after allowing over 100 points in both games over the weekend. "Charlotte was ahead of us, defensively and offensively. And so it’s a great sign that we better get to work," Stevens said. "I thought that they had us spinning all over the place. I thought that their offense was crisp. I thought, defensively, the way that they played us was great for us to be able to work on because it’s not necessarily the way we play. That was a great team to have to play."