It has been an unfortunate up and down Miami Heat tenure for Terry Rozier. When he was acquired prior to the 2024 NBA trade deadline in exchange for Kyle Lowry’s expiring contract and a first round pick, it seemed like “Scary Terry” could’ve been the missing piece.
His offensive and playmaking abilities provided the Heat with an element from the point guard position that they haven’t had in years. The problem is that Rozier has not looked like that talented scorer that Pat Riley traded assets for. In his 2023-24 stint with the Charlotte Hornets, he put up 23.2 points, 6.6 assists and 3.9 rebounds across 30 games.
Those numbers have gone down considerably since joining Miami. In fact, the 16.4 points he averaged in 31 games for the Heat a season ago was already a decline, until getting even worse this year. The 2024-25 campaign has not treated Rozier well, as he’s now putting up a pedestrian 12.9 points and 3.7 assists— his lowest production in those categories since 2018.
His shooting efficiency is even more painful to look at, as he has shot 38% from the field and 33% from 3-point range. Tyler Herro, who has been playing at an All-Star level, has held his end of the bargain in Miami’s starting backcourt. But the Rozier struggles have impacted the team’s ability to win games.
Would a Rozier move to the bench be a solution?
It is always going to be tough to tell what is at the root of the problem for the Heat point guard. He has dealt with injury issues last season, and just recently missed a game due to minor foot pain, although expected to return soon.
However, it is worth a try to see if splitting up that Herro/Rozier backcourt could help. They have similar offensive games and ball handling skills. It could add some much needed balance to the Heat’s rotation to have Scary Terry headline the team’s second unit.
The starting lineup change that featured Duncan Robinson playing alongside Herro, and Haywood Highsmith being inserted in the frontcourt, looked effective in the last win over the Philadelphia 76ers. It is a unit that features the four longest tenured players of this six-year build and the potential looks enticing. Miami get’s the shooting, playmaking and defensive skills across that group.
Rozier is someone who would embrace any role that could help his team. Having him as the go-to playmaker off the bench could suit his play style well as a Sixth Man.
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