Arguably no one on the Boston Celtics’ roster was forced to sacrifice more this season than Terry Rozier.
The point guard, who helped guide the Celtics to within one game of the NBA Finals in 2017-18, was forced to take a backseat to a healthy Kyrie Irving this season. He saw his playoff per-game minutes cut in half from a season ago and never was afforded the opportunity to shine in a contract year.
The 25-year-old was awfully candid following Boston’s season-ending loss about what he had to deal with dating back to October. Rozier shed further light Tuesday during an appearance on ESPN’s “Get Up!” specifically about the challenge of playing with Irving.
“He’s a great guy, great leader,” Rozier said. “You just have to adjust to his style. Whatever Kyrie wants done, he’s gonna show it. That’s what he wants done. You have to adjust to his style of play and how he goes about every game and every day.”
As fate would have it, there’s a good chance neither Rozier nor Irving will don a Celtics uniform next season. Rozier likely doesn’t have much motivation to remain in Boston, and there’s reportedly a “95 percent chance” Irving winds up with the New York Knicks. Both guards dealt with their own form of frustration this season, and it’s looking like they’ll seek fresh starts elsewhere.
Rozier noted Tuesday that he doesn’t care where he lands on the open market, so as long as he “gets his chance.” With this in mind, it’s pretty safe to rule out Rozier and Irving being teammates in the 2019-20 campaign.
