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As Miami Heat fans celebrate that the team traded for Charlotte Hornets point guard Terry Rozier, players are excited about the move as well. One player that might be more excited than anybody is star Caleb Martin who will reunite with Rozier since he spent two seasons with the Hornets from 2019-2021.
Since then, Martin has made a name for himself being a crucial piece to the Heat's second unit and sometimes in the starting lineup. He said after Tuesday's practice to the media that Rozier is “going to fit right in” to the system Miami has in place under head coach Erik Spoelstra.
“Great teammate,” Martin said. “He's a good dude, he's a competitor, he wants to win and plays hard on both ends. He's going to fit right in.”
Funny enough, Rozier has also been teammates with Caleb's brother, Cody, so the familiar with the Martin family is well-documented at this point. The Heat star said that the 29-year old guard has a lot of attributes that will make the team much better than it already was.
“He’s able to create a lot of space, get his own shot,” Caleb Martin said. “He’s got so much better at playmaking, getting guys open. Athleticism at the point guard spot more. He’s a dawg, too…He'll help tremendously. You have to be able to put the ball in the basket and he is going to help us tremendously on that side of things.”
Kevin Love says Rozier “does a lot of good things”
Rozier fills the Heat's top need perfectly where the team was missing a highly productive, but skillful point guard. He has been averaging career-highs with Charlotte so far this season with 23.2 points and 6.6 assists while shooting 45.9 percent from the field. Veteran big-man in Kevin Love spoke highly of the former Boston Celtic, who he faced multiple times when he was with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“He's somebody that can put points up in a hurry. Somebody who obviously attacks the game, playing eight and a half years in Cleveland, when he got into League and we played against him, you know whether it be in Boston or anytime we played against him he's used to light us up,” Love said. “So, we got a heavy dose of his game and you know, some games it was high assists output, sometimes it was defensive output but can certainly can put points up in a hurry and get his teammates involved in plays the right way. So he does a lot of good things.”
“It's huge, but on top of that, Terry is a competitor, somebody's gonna go out there every single game and fight so it is increasingly important and paramount to have a weapon and a scoring threat out there on the floor,” Love continued. “Really every position but somebody who can put points up in a hurry and with teams and offensive scoring so many points and offensive ratings continuing to go up, usage continuing to go up, it just goes to show you how important that is in this league.”
Tyler Herro said it was time for an “energy boost” to the Heat
Another Heat star excited for the trade is Tyler Herro who should be complimentary towards Rozier when they are both on the floor. He mentioned how the team needed an “energy boost” though he appreciates the impact Kyle Lowry had with the team as he heads to another squad.
“I think it's time for an energy boost around here for sure. Terry's a great player,” Herro said. “And we appreciate Kyle [Lowry] and everything he's done for us and our team….But I think it is time and it was the right time to make a move and I'm excited about it.”
The Heat debut for Rozier is undetermined at this point as the team says he is questionable for Wednesday's game against due to the “trade pending” against the Memphis Grizzlies per their X account. While it is last-minute, he could play Thursday on the tail-end of the back-to-back against his former team in the Celtics.
#MEMvsMIA UPDATE: Terry Rozier (trade pending) is listed as questionable to play in tomorrow night's game vs the Grizzlies.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. (groin) is listed as doubtful.
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) January 23, 2024
