Terry Rozier holds a surprising distinction. He hasn't been in the NBA for all that long, but he already represents stability for the Boston Celtics. The franchise dealt away Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder (among others) on Tuesday night in a deal that netted the team star point guard Kyrie Irving. All of the sudden, Rozier is now the second-longest tenured player on the entire roster, which speaks volumes about how general manager Danny Ainge has overturned the team.
Rozier rises to occasion
When the Celtics traded shooting guard Avery Bradley to the Detroit Pistons for Marcus Morris in July, guard Marcus Smart rose to the perch of longest-tenured players on the team.
He was drafted by the team in the first round of the 2014 NBA Draft, so he has been on the roster for just a hair over three years at this point. He has just one more year before he hits restricted free agency, so Rozier could be top dog soon enough.
Terry Rozier is now the second most-tenured Celtic goodnight
— Adam Himmelsbach (@AdamHimmelsbach) August 23, 2017
Rozier currently checks in at second place on the longest-tenured rankings. The Celtics drafted him in the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft, so he's been on the team for just over two years. It still counts, but about half of his rookie season was spent with the Maine Red Claws in the D-League. His name was mentioned in trade rumors over the past month, so it's somewhat of a miracle he's still on the team.
Of people who were on last year's roster, only Rozier, Smart, Al Horford, and Jaylen Brown remain.
Rozier needs to contribute
Now that he's been around for a little while, it's time for Rozier to take the next step in his development. He averaged 5.5 points and 3.1 rebounds per game in 17.1 minutes per game. He still hasn't developed a three-point shot, however, shooting just 31.8 percent from beyond the arc.
He's a solid player in transition, though. The Celtics would probably like him to develop a more all-around game to help usher in the new era of team basketball.
Largely, his role next season could be as a facilitator for the second unit. The backups will likely be made up of young players like Jayson Tatum and Brown. He doesn't have the same potential as those guys, but Rozier can help set them up for success.
In doing so, he can assure that the Celtics will be a competitive team in all game situations. Unsung players like Rozier are who drives teams to greater success than imaginable. If he fails to come through, maybe this will be his last year with the team as well - he has a club option for 2018-19.
