In the Miami Heat's win over the Cleveland Cavaliers Wednesday night, star Terry Rozier shined in the final period, scoring 11 points to put the game away. He was the aggressive player that Heat fans were waiting to see as even Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said after the game that himself and teammates have been wanting to see that side of him according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.
“Terry was 5 for 6 on threes,” Spoelstra said. “One of the first things I told him was, ‘What if you would have shot 10 to 12?’ His head coach wants him to be that aggressive, his teammates want him to be that aggressive, Jimmy and Bam want him to be that aggressive. If he would have gotten 10 or 12 up, this might not have been close down the stretch.”
Rozier said “it means everything” that Heat want him to shoot more
He would finish the game with 24 points and in those 11 points in the fourth quarter, seven came off of a four-point play and then after, a step-back three-point shot that put the game on ice. While Rozier has said before he didn't want to step on anybody's toes when joining the Heat, he said it “means everything” that his head coach and teammates want him to shoot more.
“It means everything,” Rozier said. “The guys that you’re going to war with, that you’re around daily really truly believe in you. It’s crazy because Spo [Spoelstra] has been trying to tell me to get up as many threes as I can when I first got here. So it’s just a matter of time that it’s going to happen.”
TERRY ROZIER 4-POINT PLAY TO TIE THE GAME LATE IN THE 4TH 🔥pic.twitter.com/2Xgci4rFQA
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 21, 2024
It was never going to be easy for Rozier to mesh in right from the jump as while he was arguably the main focus with the Charlotte Hornets, the Heat already had three players scoring around or more than 20 points per game in Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, and Bam Adebayo. While he's still had great performances with Miami, Spoelstra mentioned it would be a “process” to finally see how Rozier is a “great clutch performer.”
“It’s a process when things happen at midseason, when you change teams and move to a different city and try to acclimate as quickly as you possibly can,” Spoelstra said. “He didn’t want to step on anybody’s toes. But this is why we wanted him here, he’s a great clutch performer, and he’s been that way his entire career.”
Rozier fine with hard path to success with Miami
Rozier has said time and time again since joining Miami after being dealt for Kyle Lowry and a 2027 first-round pick that he wants to be a part of a winning organization. The transition has not been seamless, but Rozier asked bluntly “who the hell wants it easy?”
“It’s what every competitor, what every true competitor in my position would want,” Rozier said. “Nothing has been easy. But who the hell wants it easy? Because at the end of the day, I think it’s going to pay off in the long run and you’re going to appreciate times like this.”
So far this season, Rozier is averaging 20 points, 4.2 rebounds, and six assists per game while shooting 44.2 percent from the field. The Heat are 38-31 on the season and will start a four-game home stand Friday against the New Orleans Pelicans.
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