A concerning aspect fans of the Miami Heat were wondering about for the longest was the status of star Terry Rozier as he missed the last 11 games of the season which includes the play-in tournament and the first round of the playoffs against the Boston Celtics. However, he provides some positive news as he spoke to the media during Tuesday's Jr. Heat basketball camp where he talked about his status regarding next season.
To put it simply, Rozier has been cleared to do any activities pertaining to preparation for the upcoming season as he looks to play in his first full season in Miami after being dealt at the trade deadline in February. He would say that he is “feeling great” and “cleared to play” according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.
“Doing great, feeling great. I’m cleared to play,” Rozier said to reporters during a Tuesday appearance to interact and take photos with young campers at Jr. Heat Basketball Camp at Cooper City High School. “I’ve been on the court. Shout out to the guys on the Miami Heat in getting me right. I’ve been lifting and doing everything else that I need to do. So I feel great.”
Rozier on missing the last 11 games for the Heat last season
Rozier had dealt with a neck injury that at first was thought to not keep the 30-year old star out for a significant amount of time, but it would end up being a season-ending blow as his last game was on April 7 against the Indiana Pacers. The injury would further be labeled as “neck spasms” which he even had regrets on playing in that previous game against the Pacers, a time he said “sucks” since the Heat brought him in to be a “big help for the playoffs.”
“Obviously we all know why I came here, to be a big help for the playoffs and just to try to get this team some life,” Rozier said Tuesday. “It just sucks that I couldn’t play in the most important part of the season, and I had to watch the guys that I go to war with. So it was tough. … It was just non-stop thinking about me just wishing I was out there with my guys. That’s why I’m glad that I’m cleared and everything else will take care of itself when the time comes.”
Rozier on what his potential timeline would have been last season
Rozier would emphasize that there was “no fear” of his basketball career being in jeopardy, but the worst part was not being out there when he started to really find his groove and building chemistry with the likes of Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Tyler Herro. He would reveal that if the Heat found a way to beat the eventual champion Celtics, he “would have played in the second round.”
“It was tough, it was tough just to look at myself in a neck brace,” Rozier said. “… It was just a mutual agreement with me and the Heat that I wasn’t feeling the best and I wasn’t super comfortable. So we definitely sat it out, waited it out.
“I think that I would have played in the second round [of the playoffs] if we would have made it, but obviously that didn’t happen,” Rozier continued. “But, like I said, the most important thing is I’m feeling better now and I’m in the facility every day just getting better and I’ll be ready for next season when training camp starts.”
Rozier on solidifying chemistry on Heat
There was no doubt a process for Rozier who was one of the main options on the Charlotte Hornets, but had to be complementary to the players mentioned before. The Heat liked what they saw as he averaged 16.4 points, 4.6 assists, and 4.2 rebounds per game while shooting 42.3 percent from the field and 37.1 percent from deep in 31 contests.
“Definitely just keep building that relationship with Bam, keep building that relationship with Tyler, and keep building that relationship with Jimmy,” Rozier said. “Everything else will take care of itself. Spending time with each other, and I’m not talking so much off the court, but when we get back on the court together in training camp and stuff like that. I think things will start clicking. We’re learning one another. Like I said, we didn’t get any time with each other last year. I make no excuses at all, but I think we’re all excited.”
Rozier says Heat want to “run it back with our same team”
If there is one thing for sure, Rozier wants to come back stronger and prove the doubters wrong as he heads into his first full season with Miami. He would even says that the team wants “to run it back with our same team” for next season.
“I think the fans are bored right now, and they want to put as many scenarios as they can for us,” Rozier said. “But at the end of the day, we want to run it back with our same team, and we want to show the fans what we can bring to Miami. Obviously last year was tough on us, all of it as a whole. But we’re looking to get out there and impact, and make an impact all together.”
“I think everybody got kind of a sour taste,” Rozier continued. “I think everybody wants to prove people wrong, I think everybody is ruling us out and doubting us, which is fine. But I think coming back to training camp, I think we have the right mindset that we want to prove people wrong. So whatever we decide to do as an organization, I know me and those guys that are going to put on a Heat jersey will be ready.”
Rozier and the Heat are looking to improve after finishing at the eighth seed for the second straight season.
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