Despite the Miami Heat looking different as it was the debut of former Charlotte Hornets star Terry Rozier, the team picks up their fourth straight loss Wednesday night against the Memphis Grizzlies, 105-96. With how depleted the opponent was, this could be argued as the worst defeat of the season so far.
Besides the loss, it was the aforementioned debut for Rozier who was traded Tuesday in exchange for Kyle Lowry and a 2027 first-round pick. Rozier would come off the bench and played close to 30 minutes, scoring nine points as he made three of his 11 shot attempts to go along with five assists, four rebounds, and two steals.
While on paper it was a disappointing night, an explosive debut shouldn't have been expected as it was his first game with the team after being traded the prior day. Learning the system, plays, and more would be hard to master overnight. However, he said to the media that he is not making any excuses.
It was definitely different, but I mean, I make no excuses,” Rozier said. “If I'm going to play, I'm going to give it my all. Just didn't play pretty good today. So you know, on to the next one.”
Rozier trying to get “comfortable” amidst a hectic past few days
Looking at the full schedule for Rozier, he got traded Tuesday, made his debut Wednesday, and now has to play his former team in the Boston Celtics Thursday. Probably won't be a ton of sleep for the 29-year old. He said to ClutchPoints that his mindset is trying to “get comfortable as I can.”
Just get you get comfortable as I can. It's not gonna happen in one day,” Rozier said. “So you know, just making sure I understand that and making sure I'm not hard on myself, just figuring this thing out with those guys in the locker room cause we will.”
Erik Spoelstra sees the “possibilities” with Rozier
Even in the underwhelming performance, there were some spots that showed why the Heat needed a player like Rozier as their point-guard. Once the star gets into the hang of the system, this could be a scary squad for opposing teams. Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra acknowledged the tumultuous time for Rozier and the “possibilities” he can bring.
“It's tough to go through 24 hours of physicals and doctor's appointments, just change in life. I'm not making any excuse, this is this business that we're in but it's not easy. And I think you see the possibilities there,” Spoelstra said. “He is extremely skilled offensively in off the dribble and even some of the things he can do on the catch. Defensively, I think once he gets accustomed to how we do things, he'll very disruptive, he's a physical defender, he's got long arms and really create some havoc on that end of the court and that will take some time.”
Bam Adebayo has prior familiarity with Rozier
Star Bam Adebayo had a down offensive night with 15 points, but collected 15 rebounds, recorded six assists, and racked up a career-high six blocks, albeit in the brutal loss to Memphis. He has familiarity with Rozier as he revealed they worked out in the summer and noticed that he wasn't as aggressive as usual because of trying to feel out the environment.
“I've worked out with Terry in the summer, we play pickup together and against each other. I'm used to having Terry out there. The biggest thing is just him getting comfortable,” Adebayo said. “And I feel like he is usually more aggressive, but today it was kind of his feel out, trying to figure out plays and also trying to figure out the flow with all of us.”
While it's fair to be positive about the future with Rozier, it's also valid to be down as Miami falls to 24-20, failing to score 100 total points in five of the last seven games. There is no time to rest as the Heat face the No. 1 team in the Eastern Conference in the Celtics Thursday night on the tail-end of the back-to-back.
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