Rozier Time to shine or Fadeaway

[KG Living Legend]

 Bradley gone is a godsend for Rozier. Overall I'm a non believer in Rozier, but I've known to at least give him three years in the league, and here we are.

 Rozier actually is 1" longer in Wingspan than Bradley. Bradley the better defender with quicker feet. Rozier actually the better run and jump athlete much better rebounder too at the same age.

 Bradley his third year in the league finally got his breakout 29 Mpg, produced 9ppg 2 rpg 2 APG 1.3 spg

 Per 36  11.6 ppg 2.8 rpg 2.6 apg

 Rozier only in his second year and 5.5 ppg 3.1 rpg

 Per 36 11.7 ppg 6.5 RPG 3.7 APG


 

[CelticsElite]

Will be real interesting to see if rozier gets improved with more playing time and big 3 floor spacing.

[moiso]

I'm not sure Rozier is really the better run and jump athlete.  Bradley was pretty freaky but he only used the minimum of what he had to on a particular play.  Rozier is a wild man so he's always going all out.

[TheSundanceKid]

I'm not convinced he'll see an uptick in minutes. I guess it entirely depends on what the starting lineup looks like. If we start with Hayward at the 2 and Crowder at the 3 then Smart becomes the backup ball handler with Brown and Tatum/Nader/Semi as the wings. In that situation it's difficult to see his minutes increasing much.

[footey]

 Bradley gone is a godsend for Rozier. Overall I'm a non believer in Rozier, but I've known to at least give him three years in the league, and here we are.

 Rozier actually is 1" longer in Wingspan than Bradley. Bradley the better defender with quicker feet. Rozier actually the better run and jump athlete much better rebounder too at the same age.

 Bradley his third year in the league finally got his breakout 29 Mpg, produced 9ppg 2 rpg 2 APG 1.3 spg

 Per 36  11.6 ppg 2.8 rpg 2.6 apg

 Rozier only in his second year and 5.5 ppg 3.1 rpg

 Per 36 11.7 ppg 6.5 RPG 3.7 APG

These comparisons misleading since Bradley entered league 2 years younger than a Rozier, so Bradley's more likely to show longer improvement  curve than Rozier.

[Greyman]

I'm not convinced he'll see an uptick in minutes. I guess it entirely depends on what the starting lineup looks like. If we start with Hayward at the 2 and Crowder at the 3 then Smart becomes the backup ball handler with Brown and Tatum/Nader/Semi as the wings. In that situation it's difficult to see his minutes increasing much.

I have a feeling that this could be the way things go. Though with AB and Jackson gone Rozier may be called on more with some lineups. Mostly I am intrigued to see.

[Surferdad]

Anybody notice Rozier grinning ear-to-ear after the trade? It was in an interview in youtube.  Maybe I'm reading too much into that, but recall he had tweeted only a few days earlier about life changes, implying he thought he was the one who was going to be traded.

[__ramonezy__]

With this team, I see Brown or Rozier as best fits for the vacant starting 2 spot. With the spacing that starting unit will give we need freaky athletes that can slash and shoot open shots. I actually think Rozier is the better ball-handler and as a result the better slasher of the two. But starting Rozier gives us a recurring problem... it keeps us very small. I think starting Brown will be best for his development with wide open lanes and designated scoring options on the floor... he gets to pick his spots and adds length to the starting 5.

Tatum will be our one-on-one, 2nd team go-to option... with Smart and Crowder providing stability and Baynes providing tough-nosed defense

[SHAQATTACK]

Rozier can do better , he needs more court time , to slow the game down . When he knows what play to run or exactly what to do with the ball , totally decided , then he seems to play well.   When the play unwinds poorly  , he seems lost for too many seconds deciding what to do next.,  then comes a poor shot or totally busted play.,   Maybe experience will smooth out his half court game.

I kinda think Etwain Moore when imsee him play .   I think Rozier like Moore sticks around ,  but not sure he can make the jump to starter .

[Rosco917]

I have Rozier as the next player to be involved in a trade. He'll give you a flash here and there, but mostly he's a feast or famine backup combo guard.

I like his speed, and quickness, but much of the time it's all for nothing, he doesn't see the next play.

The OP is correct, this is certainly a very important year for him, with a league full of PG's, and with the questionable health of IT. 

[saltlover]

I have Rozier as the next player to be involved in a trade. He'll give you a flash here and there, but mostly he's a feast or famine backup combo guard.

I like his speed, and quickness, but much of the time it's all for nothing, he doesn't see the next play.

The OP is correct, this is certainly a very important year for him, with a league full of PG's, and with the questionable health of IT.

With the team nearly certain to lose one of Smart or IT next summer due to the luxury tax (most likely Smart), Rozier's $3 million salary next year and capable reserve play is very valuable to the team.  I would not expect him to be traded.

[RJ87]

I have Rozier as the next player to be involved in a trade. He'll give you a flash here and there, but mostly he's a feast or famine backup combo guard.

I like his speed, and quickness, but much of the time it's all for nothing, he doesn't see the next play.

The OP is correct, this is certainly a very important year for him, with a league full of PG's, and with the questionable health of IT.

With the team nearly certain to lose one of Smart or IT next summer due to the luxury tax (most likely Smart), Rozier's $3 million salary next year and capable reserve play is very valuable to the team.  I would not expect him to be traded.

I think we keep both Smart and IT and we'll probably look to reach an extension with Smart before the fall deadline as there'll motivation from both sides to get it done. Last year, we didn't extend Olynyk partially because we wanted to preserve the possibility of cap space. Next offseason, we'll be capped out and needing to add quality role players. Smart - even with his offensive flaws - is a young, quality role player we can negotiate with outside of the MLE, BAE, and vet's min. For Smart, this offseason was tough for restricted FA's. With the exception of Otto Porter, guys struggled to generate a market and many known RFA's are still unsigned. He and his agent may opt to try to get an extension done before he reaches RFA status.

Edit: For comparison sake, look at Andre Roberson. He turned down a 4 year, $48m extension with Thunder, and ended up with a 3 year, $30m deal in free agency. I think we can retain Smart with a contract offer in the $10-12m per year range.

[bellerephon]

I think it's too strong to say it's nearly certain that they will lose Smart or IT. I would say it's a distinct possibility, but far from certain. A lot will depend on how each plays, how strong the team looks, and whether it looks like they have a chance to be a contender in the near future. I think the owners would be willing to pay lux tax if they thought the team's chances were good enough.

[saltlover]

I have Rozier as the next player to be involved in a trade. He'll give you a flash here and there, but mostly he's a feast or famine backup combo guard.

I like his speed, and quickness, but much of the time it's all for nothing, he doesn't see the next play.

The OP is correct, this is certainly a very important year for him, with a league full of PG's, and with the questionable health of IT.

With the team nearly certain to lose one of Smart or IT next summer due to the luxury tax (most likely Smart), Rozier's $3 million salary next year and capable reserve play is very valuable to the team.  I would not expect him to be traded.

I think we keep both Smart and IT and we'll probably look to reach an extension with Smart before the fall deadline as there'll motivation from both sides to get it done. Last year, we didn't extend Olynyk partially because we wanted to preserve the possibility of cap space. Next offseason, we'll be capped out and needed to add quality role players. Smart - even with his offensive flaws - is a young, quality role player we can negotiate with outside of the MLE, BAE, and vet's min. For Smart, this offseason was tough for restricted FA's. With the exception of Otto Porter, guys struggled to generate a market and many known RFA's are still unsigned. He and his agent may opt to try to get an extension done before he reaches RFA status.

Respectfully, I don't think you've done the math on what the Celtics luxury tax bill could potentially be. The only way Smart stays around is if the market isn't that hot for him next summer and he takes his qualifying offer for a season.  Or if he blows up into the star that's deep inside him, and the team moves forward with Smart instead of IT.  Even if they only keep IT, they could approach $20 million over the tax line, which would be a tax bill of $45 million.

The discount he'd have to take on an extension would be substantial.  Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see it happen, and I will be very sad when Smart no longer is a Celtic, but I'm also a realist.  Keeping Smart probably requires two salary dumps next season and results in a tax bill North of $70 million.

Accordingly, Rozier will stick around.

[RodyTur10]

I have Rozier as the next player to be involved in a trade. He'll give you a flash here and there, but mostly he's a feast or famine backup combo guard.

I like his speed, and quickness, but much of the time it's all for nothing, he doesn't see the next play.

The OP is correct, this is certainly a very important year for him, with a league full of PG's, and with the questionable health of IT.

With the team nearly certain to lose one of Smart or IT next summer due to the luxury tax (most likely Smart), Rozier's $3 million salary next year and capable reserve play is very valuable to the team.  I would not expect him to be traded.

I think we keep both Smart and IT and we'll probably look to reach an extension with Smart before the fall deadline as there'll motivation from both sides to get it done. Last year, we didn't extend Olynyk partially because we wanted to preserve the possibility of cap space. Next offseason, we'll be capped out and needed to add quality role players. Smart - even with his offensive flaws - is a young, quality role player we can negotiate with outside of the MLE, BAE, and vet's min. For Smart, this offseason was tough for restricted FA's. With the exception of Otto Porter, guys struggled to generate a market and many known RFA's are still unsigned. He and his agent may opt to try to get an extension done before he reaches RFA status.

Respectfully, I don't think you've done the math on what the Celtics luxury tax bill could potentially be. The only way Smart stays around is if the market isn't that hot for him next summer and he takes his qualifying offer for a season.  Or if he blows up into the star that's deep inside him, and the team moves forward with Smart instead of IT.  Even if they only keep IT, they could approach $20 million over the tax line, which would be a tax bill of $45 million.

The discount he'd have to take on an extension would be substantial.  Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see it happen, and I will be very sad when Smart no longer is a Celtic, but I'm also a realist.  Keeping Smart probably requires two salary dumps next season and results in a tax bill North of $70 million.

Accordingly, Rozier will stick around.

I don't understand that you don't object against the route the team has been taking, while you know the possible implications of it.

A top trio of Thomas, Hayward and Horford almost surely won't give you a title and if Brown, Tatum turn out to be stars we have lost all other useful roleplayers because of the salary restrictions, with not much to show for.