There is no doubt that the Miami Heat traded for a really good player in Terry Rozier from the Charlotte Hornets last Tuesday. However, his start with the team has been forgettable to say the least, but this was to be expected as his heavy usage with the Hornets would take time to mesh with the bevy of stars on the Heat.
In the three games Rozier has played with Miami, he has shot 30 percent from the field as it was evident he did not want to step on anybody's toes. What has resulted is a less aggressive player, which the team doesn't want, but Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said after the loss to the New York Knicks that he will figure it out, but overall, they want “Terry to be Terry” according to Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel.
“He’ll figure it out,” Spoelstra said after the sixth straight loss to the New York Knicks. “He’s tried to fit in. I get that. We’re all saying the same thing. We want Terry to be Terry. He’s going to unlock other things for us and you can see the burst that he gives us, the rim pressure that we need. “And that’s not just the head coach saying that, that’s his teammates saying that. And once he gets comfortable, those are really good and needed opportunities for our team offensively.”
Jimmy Butler wants Rozier to be more “aggressive” with Heat
Star Jimmy Butler is confident that Rozier will understand the offense and be the player that fans and the team are excited about obtaining. Like Spoelstra mentioned, Butler expressed that he wants Rozier to be himself and be aggressive.
“We need him to be him. We want him to be him,” Butler said. “That’s the reason that he’s here. And the more comfortable that he gets, the more he realizes we’re all in his corner to shoot the ball and to be aggressive, to attack.”
In the defeat to the Knicks, Rozier scored 10 points, making four of his 12 attempts, while recording seven assists, and collecting five rebounds. After the ugly loss to the Boston Celtics last Thursday, Butler talked about the trade for Rozier for the first time. He said to ClutchPoints that he believes it can be a “positive thing” to have the former Hornet and that he is a “hell of a player.”
“I mean, I think it can be a positive thing, a new face, yes,” Butler said. “The scoring that he brings, the leadership that he brings, he’s played in the playoffs a bunch with that Boston team. And I mean he’s just a hell of a player. He’s smiling. He’s happy. And I think that’s going to become very contagious. He’s going to be the ring leader for that.”
Spoelstra says it's “clear to see the positives” with Rozier
Spoelstra inserted Rozier into the starting lineup for the first time against his former team in the Celtics and said it was “clear to see the positives” as he scored seven points in that game. He would cite his “speed, quickness, his ability to get into the paint.”
“It's clear to see the positives with Terry. He brings us a burst of speed, quickness, his ability to get into the paint. I think that's going to continue to get better once he understands how important it is to our offense and how we want him to be him and and be aggressive,” Spoelstra said. “He is much more aggressive and assertive tonight than he was the other night. Everybody wants him to do that. And he's pretty dynamic and I think that'll help. Defensively, he's so competitive, he's got long arms. That'll get better once he gets an understanding of our system.”
Erik Spoelstra talks about Terry Rozier being in the starting lineup and how he’ll evolve with Miami.
“It’s clear to see the positives with Terry…” #HeatCulture pic.twitter.com/Sc4hnUdifh
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) January 26, 2024
“A crazy week to say the least” for Scary Terry
There should be a grace period for Rozier as he tries to mesh with his new teammates. It has been a hectic week for the new Heat star, but with the second half of the season upon them, their winning ways have to get started sooner rather than later.
“It’s been a crazy week to say the least,” Rozier said. “But I think we’re all still trying to figure it out together. And the most important thing is wins and losses. Obviously the way I play is going to come into effect, is going to come into play. That’s the reason they brought me over here.”
“We’re most importantly trying to get wins, and you kind of feel that around the locker room,” Rozier continued. “We’re kind of desperate right now. And it’s going to happen. It’s got to turn for us, because we’ve all got the right attitude. So hopefully it will turn for us ASAP.”
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