Terry Rozier is Miami's big swing. How does he fit the Heat Culture?
Terry Rozier might be the best player you have not seen or heard from this season, because he worked for the moribund Charlotte Hornets [ne Bobcats. Once a Bobcat always a Bobcat.]…
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It says a lot that the Heat targeted Rozier as Lowry's successor. Before Damian Lilllard worked his way to the Milwaukee Bucks, we thought he might be that guy for most of the summer, and Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray is the biggest available name at their position of need leading into the Feb. 8 trade deadline.
We may soon discover whether the price tag for Murray was too high, or whether the Heat preferred Rozier outright, but this is the big swing. …
Rozier averaged 23.2 points (on 46/36/85 shooting splits), 6.6 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 35.5 minutes per game for the Hornets this season. His usage and efficiency are as high as each has ever been. Statistically, his profile is not far from Philadelphia 76ers sensation Tyrese Maxey, who will almost certainly make his first All-Star appearance…
…the sixth-place Heat (24-19) have twice won recent playoff series against the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks, and they will not be afraid of anyone else above them in the standings. …and the Heat are unquestionably better today than yesterday.
… this is who they are. They fight, and they claw, and they enter the postseason hungrier than most anyone else.
Which is what Rozier has done for his whole career. It was enough to secure a three-year, $56.7 million contract from the Hornets that same summer — a deal that was roundly mocked at the time, especially since Charlotte traded Kemba Walker to get Rozier. All he has done in the meantime is earn every cent, plus the four-year, $96.3 million extension that currently runs through the 2025-26 season…
Rozier's backcourt pairing with Tyler Herro could present some defensive issues. Rozier is not a great defender, but he scraps with athleticisim, and he is no worse than a post-prime Lowry. …
Add Rozier, and they can expect the offense to improve enough to challenge any shortened rotation come playoff time.
Rozier is yielding 1.11 points per possession on 7.6 opportunities per game as a pick-and-roll ball-handler this season, not far from Tyrese Haliburton's production on similar plays for the Indiana Pacers [aka Indiana Marymount]. And this was on the Hornets Bobcats. Imagine what Rozier might be able to accomplish with Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra orchestrating the action, Adebayo and Butler setting screens, and Duncan Robinson spotted up at the arc.
Rozier does not need the ball to be effective, either. … Rozier has not gotten the cleanest looks in Charlotte's offense — nobody does — but when opponents sag four or more feet from him, he is shooting 38% on 5.7 3-point attempts a night. He should see more of those chances in the Heat's offense.
…the Heat…believe they can play with anyone and saw their shot to get better with a player who will feel every bit the underdog everyone else on the roster does…
