It was a long time coming for the return of Miami Heat star Terry Rozier to the lineup after he suffered a knee injury on Feb. 11 against his former team in the Boston Celtics. After missing a few weeks, he was made available prior to Tuesday night's game facing the Portland Trail Blazers and was effective in his return as teammate Jimmy Butler and head coach Erik Spoelstra speak about his attributes.
During his game back, he scored 19 points, recorded four assists, collected four rebounds, and shot 50 percent from the field. While Rozier has said time and time again that he doesn't want to step on anybody's toes, Butler has expressed he wants the former Charlotte Hornets star “to continue to be aggressive” according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald.
“We want him to continue to be aggressive, shoot the shots you work on,” Butler said. “We need him to shoot those shots. we need him to get up as many attempts as possible. When he sees a couple go in, he’s very, very ignitable, can catch fire.”
Butler himself returned to action Tuesday night after being suspended for one game after getting into a heated altercation with New Orleans Pelicans player Naji Marshall. He led the team with 22 points, recorded nine assists, and four steals.
Spoelstra admits Heat are better when Rozier is aggressive
A figure that agrees with Butler is Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra admitted that “we're definitely better” when Rozier is aggressive rather than worrying about taking opportunity from a deep team. Spoelstra sees the possibilities if Rozier starts getting hot from the field which has been a struggle since the trade in late January.
“We’re definitely better when he’s aggressive, when he’s in attack mode, and we also like it when he’s putting pressure on the rim and making the appropriate plays,” Spoelstra said. “He was already in a great groove before the injury. You could see the possibilities. I love his motor and I think that’s going to get better. Right before he got hurt, the motor was getting to where we wanted it to.”
“He doesn’t have to overthink it,” Spoelstra continued. “Everyone wants him to be him. He can shoot some pull up threes. His head coach wants that. His teammates want that.”
As said before, Rozier wants to be the best fit for the Heat as he wants to be a part of a winning team rather than the Hornets who the star has said time and time again were used to losing. While he wants to find the balance of being aggressive and a facilitator, he even said after the Blazers win that he hears “guys over there screaming at me, telling me I need to shoot.”
“For sure,” Rozier said via The Miami Herald. “Not trying to do too much, but you got guys over there screaming at me, telling me I need to shoot the ball. Just trying to figure it out. Wins is all we really care about.”
Rozier's recovery process from injury
Rozier is grateful for coming back as the initial injury was a concerning sight not just for fans of Miami, but for the team itself and the 29-year old. He even said that he “thought it was pretty serious” and that he hopes for a scratch-free season.
“Up until I got my MRI, I thought it was pretty serious,” Rozier said. “I feel good and hopefully I stay healthy for the rest of the season. The medical staff does a great job of making sure I’m fully healthy before I get back. Hopefully I can stay healthy for the rest of the season.”
There is no doubt that Rozier embodies the “Heat Culture” that the team likes to tout, which was proven by the recovery process of coming back to play. This was noticed by Spoelstra who said he “respects” the effort he put in to “fast track” and his “work ethic” fits the essence of the team.
“I respect how much time he put into this to get back and fast track this,” Spoelstra said. “It was All Star break when everybody else was off and he was doing three a days just to hopefully get a chance to be ready earlier. It’s a credit to his work ethic.”
With the win over the Trail Blazers, Miami is now 33-25 on the season as they have won five straight and nine of their last 11 games. They are now fifth in the Eastern Conference as they conclude the road trip Thursday against the Denver Nuggets in an NBA Finals rematch from last season.
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