Terry Rozier would have you ever consider he spent the 2018-19 NBA season on the proverbial cross.
But did the Boston Celtics guard actually “sacrifice” as a lot as he believes he did?
In case you missed it, Rozier went on a number of ESPN packages Tuesday and mainly torpedoed the Celtics’ locker room. From basically saying he needs out to throwing Boston’s coaches underneath the bus, Rozier painted an unpleasant — but undeniably colourful — image of what was one of many nice dumpster fires in NBA historical past.
Here’s a clip of his “First Take” look:
So, about this “sacrifice.”
There’s no denying Rozier’s position was lowered this season after his breakout efficiency in final yr’s playoffs. And, for those who resist the urge to shout, “But these guys make millions!” it’s best to notice that Rozier was put in a troublesome place all through Boston’s tumultuous marketing campaign.
However, these stats from MassLive’s Tom Westerholm and a few Twitter consumer named LuckysPipe deserve a job within the debate:
Numbers don’t lie.
Of course, what these stats don’t inform you is how significant or not these touches had been. They additionally don’t account for whether or not a given participant had a job to play within the significance, or lack thereof, of their touches.
For what it’s value, let’s evaluate Rozier’s numbers in final yr’s NBA playoffs (when Kyrie Irving was injured) to his regular-season numbers in 2018-19 (when Irving was wholesome and doing his Kyrie Irving factor):
2018 playoffs: 16.5 factors, 5.Three rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1.Three steals, 36.6 minutes per sport
This season: 9.Zero factors, 3.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 0.9 steals, 22.7 minutes per sport.
Make of these numbers what you’ll. (Worth noting: Rozier’s minutes-per-game within the playoffs clearly had been inflated by the setting, as evidenced by his 25.9 minutes per sport within the 2017-18 common season.)
In any occasion, it seems Rozier’s time with the Celtics will come to an finish sooner or later this summer season. And, if latest studies are to be believed, the New York Knicks are a possible touchdown spot for the Louisville product.
Thumbnail photograph by way of Jennifer Stewart/USA TODAY Sports Images