Rozier has been playing lights out this year, and I'm super impressed. He's shown and put a lot of dedication into his craft, and his play this year in the playoffs definitely has given some thought about trading Kyrie, but these are my pros and cons.
Pros:
He's younger, more athletic, and would be getting paid less.
He's shown in short spurts that he can make some astounding plays on both ends.
He can shoot, and score quicker, and use his ability to jump higher to make it difficult to block his shots. He's also improved his 3 point shots.
Cons:
Is his defense really that much better than Kyrie? I have honestly been up and down with his defense. At times he seems to be able to glide effortlessly similar to like Paul George with his quick lateral ability, but then he gets blown by players that I would've never imagined would have done so.
Rozier still cannot take over the game. The Bucks game after watching all the angles and separate camera views. They foolishly didn't contest his 3 point shots, and gave him way TOO easy of looks. The Bucks were in the bottom 5 percentile for worst 3 pt % allowed.
Rozier's handling is still suspect. I don't trust him as well. He also seems to try to push the pace too quick without thinking things through at times.
He is definitely going to be a starting PG on another team, but the question is, at what cost?
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My last final thoughts is that Rozier is going to garner much more look than I anticipated. Teams that need a PG, or scoring undersized SG/PG combo guard may try to take a bite at him. I will also mention if you take a look at Brown, Tatum, and Rozier, their handling has been 2x as better than originally... While you cannot just attribute that based on hard work alone, I think the effect of having a leader and clutch scorer and one of the greatest ball handlers in the history of the NBA to rely and be given positive feedback is vital in Kyrie. His handling has most definitely had positive effects on all players. Tatum is able to do shake and bake moves that I haven't seen him pull off so easily against NBA defenders in his college highlights. Rozier has also mentioned that Kyrie has been a huge influence on him.
Terry Rozier on Kyrie Irving's leadership from afar: "He’s here with us. His spirit is here. He’s still part of this team. He’s still our leader.”
“No. I haven’t changed my mind,” Rozier said with a grin after leading the Celtics to a 119-110 win over the Atlanta Hawks. “Kyrie’s probably one of my biggest supporters outside of my family through this little process. So I know he’s happy for me. And when he comes back he’s going to pick it up.”
So, with Irving's shoes on his feet, and his wisdom in his head, Rozier is introducing the world to "Scary Terry," a lightning-fast guard with elite athleticism, steady ballhandling and a fun-loving personality that has aided his rise to the national spotlight this postseason.
"Kyrie's big advice was for me to be myself. That's the most important thing, he said," Rozier said. "There was nothing that he could teach me in so little time. So he told me to be myself. He believes in me, and I believe in myself.
"Now I'm just going out there and doing what I do."
Regardless of whether or not Kyrie comes back healthy, is still up for discussion. Either way, you have to choose who would be better suited for this team.. And if Hayward is coming back, he is going to be the one who is going to be hurt with his PPG. But I think someone like Hayward, who completely buys and trusts in the system, would be okay with sharing the ball, and acquiring more assists at the cost of his PPG.
Honestly, PPG is so overrated. It's something that I have always hated when people bring up superstars... Yes Curry can score, along with Harden and KD. But they are all in great systems with fantastic ball movement.
Also Kyrie has star power... AD has also reportedly mentioned during USA team camp that him and Kyrie became very close friends.
If Anthony Davis becomes available — and the Celtics’ eyes are very much trained on him — Boston could throw together a package more compelling than just about anyone else’s.
Irving would be an indirect part of that package. The NBA’s superstar class respects his ballsy showman’s game.
Even KP thinks Kyrie would've been the best option to add to his team.
“Any time a great player in this league has you on their list, you got to be happy about it,’’ Jeff Hornacek said. “He ended up here in Boston. He’s going to really help those guys.”
Porzingis was in Latvia training for the European championships during the Irving Sweepstakes.
“I saw it on Twitter,’’ Porzingis said. “As I said, I wasn’t trying to pay too much attention to my own trade talks — even less to other guys.”
He admitted an Irving addition could have changed the landscape.
“Playing with a guy like that would make the game a lot easier,’’ Porzingis said. “That’s dreaming how it would be. He’s not here with us. He’s in Boston. That type of player would bring a lot to this team.’’