Acquiring Terry Rozier, in a vacuum, made sense for the Charlotte Hornets. With a major hole at point guard due to the departure of Kemba Walker and finally committing to a long-awaited rebuilding process, the Hornets have both the time and opportunity to take a chance on a mostly unproven young veteran like Rozier. What a vocal majority of league followers didn't understand was why general manager Mitch Kupchak and company felt compelled to give him a three-year, $57 million contract in his sign-and-trade from the Boston Celtics.
But Rozier's agent, Aaron Turner, knows exactly why Charlotte paid his client like a high-caliber starting point guard – because he is one, of course.
“People say, ‘Oh, Terry only shot this percentage,'” he said, per Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. “The Hornets are bringing him in to start. Look at his numbers as a starter. He’s right there with the elite, the [Mike] Conleys, the [Kyle] Lowrys. He’s not far behind Kyrie (Irving). He’s elite as a starter, and that’s what they’re bringing him in to do.”
Rozier was one of Boston’s most disappointing players in 2018-19, failing to build on the momentum he established as a starter during last year’s playoffs. He averaged 9.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game, shooting 38.7 percent from the field and 35.3 percent from three-point range – all worse than a season ago.
At 25, Terry Rozier has some room left to improve, and he and his agent's justification for an underwhelming 2018-19 campaign, a major sacrifice in playing time and touches, actually does hold weight. But he’s always been more limited, as both a shooter and overall playmaker, than his performance in the 2018 postseason made it seem, a reality on full display last season that the Hornets could soon find out.