The Boston Celtics have a lot of good players and not as many minutes to go around, which has left Terry Rozier frustrated early in the season.
Rozier put together his best season in the NBA last year, posting career-highs in many meaningful stats. Some of those numbers came during the absence Kyrie Irving and Marcus Smart. With both players now healthy, Rozier has seen a reduction in minutes as he’s averaged 22 minutes per game in four contests this season. By comparison, he averaged nearly 37 minutes per game in the playoffs last season.
While he understands the situation, Rozier acknowledges it’s frustrating not getting the minutes he wants.
Terry Rozier admitted it's tough when he doesn't get the minutes he wants. "But Coach does not have the easiest job. He has the toughest job out of all of us. And I can respect that. … I still come in every day and I bust my butt…"
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) October 23, 2018
The Celtics boast a wealth of talent with players like Irving, Smart, Gordon Hayward, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Al Horford. As Rozier noted, that gives head coach Brad Stevens the task of keeping everyone (relatively) happy while trying to win games.
Rozier and the Celtics could not come to an agreement on an extension to Rozier’s rookie contract. When playing for a contract, getting minutes to show what you can do helps. Right now, Rozier doesn’t feel like he’s getting as many of those as he would like. Teams around the league are probably hoping the logjam leads Boston to make Rozier available via trade.
