NBA Rumors: Why Terry Rozier is in a no-win situation

NBA Rumors: Terry Rozier is going to be unhappy next season because he will not get the opportunity to be a primary ball handler

"“I’m out there for a little bit of half of my minutes, so I’m really not being my position,” Rozier said of sharing the backcourt with Irving. “I’m not being Terry Rozier, because I have to adjust to how Kyrie plays. And then when Kyrie comes out, Gordon Hayward comes in and I feel like his usage is super high, so a lot of plays get called for him.”"

Restricted free agent point guard Terry Rozier said this in regards to how the return of Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward affected his role with the Boston Celtics this season. However, one can argue that these comments put Terry in a no-win situation as it is unlikely that he will be a primary ball handler next season.

There are at least six teams other than Boston that have been linked to the point guard position leading into the 2019 offseason in the Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks, Phoenix Suns, and Utah Jazz. Unfortunately, the head coaches for most of these teams would force Terry Rozier to spend a significant amount of time off the ball in the role of bystander or spot up shooter.

Jim Boylen, Rick Carlisle, Nate McMillan, and Quin Snyder have all incorporated a significant amount of ball movement into their offensive systems. The first example of this was during a Bulls road game against the Los Angeles Clippers when Kris Dunn dribbled the basketball to the 3-point line.

Once this happened, he passed the ball to Otto Porter Jr. who was standing on the left wing. Otto immediately passed the basketball to Lauri Markkanen who had established post position on the low block.

Markkanen ends the possession by facing up and taking a couple of steps to the right to miss a baby sky hook.

The second example of this was during a Dallas Mavericks home game against the San Antonio Spurs when Jalen Brunson dribbled the ball to the 3-point line. Once this happened, Brunson passed the basketball to Dorian Finney-Smith who was standing on the left wing.

Finney-Smith held the ball until Dwight Powell made his way from the left block to about the elbow. After this occurred, Finney-Smith gave the ball to Powell and spent the rest of the possession in the left corner as a bystander.

When Finney-Smith vacated the left wing for the corner, Brunson decided to occupy the empty spot on the left wing for the rest of the possession to be a bystander/spot up shooter.

The possession would end with Powell initiating a dribble handoff sequence with Luka Doncic. When Doncic got the ball, he used Powell as a screener to turn the corner and get to the basket. After Doncic turned the corner, Powell rolled to the basketball where he and Doncic would mistime a lob.

The third example of this was in November of 2018 when the Indiana Pacers had a home game against the Philadelphia 76ers. Darren Collison brought the basketball up to the 3-point line and passed it to Victor Oladipo who was standing on the right wing.

Victor immediately passed the basketball to Myles Turner, who had established post position on the right block. Turner would end up missing a jump hook with his left hand.

The last example of this was during the Utah Jazz’s first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets when Ricky Rubio dribbled the basketball up to the 3-point line. Once this happened,  Ricky passed the ball to Derrick Favors who was standing near the top of the key.

After this occurred, Derrick dribbled the ball to the left wing and passed it to Donovan Mitchell. Mitchell took a couple of steps to the right and waited a few seconds for Rudy Gobert to set a screen.

Donovan Mitchell went over the screen and saw that Clint Capela was staying close to Gobert to prevent him from getting an easy lob. Capela’s decision gave Mitchell a path to attack the basket and ended the possession by making a layup.

Chicago, Dallas, Indiana, and Utah aren’t the only NBA teams that will feature a significant amount of ball movement next season as the Suns recently hired Monty Williams to be their new head coach. A prime example of the ball movement featured in Monty’s system was during his first season as an NBA head coach when the New Orleans Hornets had a road game against the Suns.

Midway through the first quarter, Chris Paul brought the basketball up to the 3-point line and passed it to David West who was standing at the top of the key.

West kept the ball until Trevor Ariza, who was standing on the right wing began his cut towards the basket. Once this happened,  David threw a bounce pass which allowed Ariza to get the ball at about the free throw line with no one between him and the basket.  Trevor Ariza ended the possession with an uncontested dunk.

Offensive systems aren’t the only obstacle preventing Terry Rozier from becoming a primary ball handler as he may have to share the backcourt with other players who want to dominate the ball. New York Knick point guard  Dennis Smith Jr has shown a tendency to get mad when he does not have the ball.

According to ESPN, Smith asked the Mavericks to trade him after he saw that Luka Doncic was becoming the primary ball handler:

"Smith expressed that he hopes to be traded. Sources said Smith was frustrated with his role and had friction with Carlisle since Rookie of the Year front-runner Luka Doncic seized the reins of the offense."

In conclusion, there is a high likelihood that Terry Rozier will be unhappy next season because he will not get the opportunity to be a primary ball handler.