Boston Celtics: Take A Deep Breath Regarding Terry Rozier And R.J. Hunter

By Jeremy Gottlieb | Oct 21, 2015

Sep 25, 2015; Waltham, MA, USA; Boston Celtics guard R.J. Hunter (28) during media day at the Boston Celtic Practice Facility. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports /

These are the dog days of NBA preseason. The real thing is within our grasp but not quite here yet. And any and everything you see or read about players and their tendencies based on how they look in preseason competition should be taken with many, many grains of salt.

Keep this in mind when considering the effusive gushing going on right now in regard to Boston Celtics rookies R.J. Hunter and Terry Rozier.

Hunter, the 28th overall pick out of Georgia State, played well and hit some shots in a game against the Nets in Brooklyn last week and suddenly he was Klay Thompson, bound to crack the Celtics’ rotation and set the league on fire with his shooting ability, passing and defensive skills and all-around hoops IQ.

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Then on Monday, Rozier, drafted 16th out of Louisville this past June, had a nice game – also against the Nets – who a) are the worst team in the league and b) played without their entire regular starting lineup.

The response was fairly disproportionate to the accomplishment.

Is Rozier a talented player? Indeed. He’s quick, tenacious, seems committed to defense and by all accounts possesses a terrific work ethic.

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But are we really going to anoint him a candidate for meaningful minutes because he scored 16 points against a short-handed Brooklyn squad a week before the regular season starts? Do we want him taking minutes away from Marcus Smart, Isaiah Thomas or Avery Bradley when the real games begin?

Not if the Celtics really are going to ascend to the upper level of the Eastern Conference.

Guys like Hunter and Rozier contribute to the nice problem currently facing the Celtics.

Both of them, along with fellow rookie Jordan Mickey, not only hanging in there with the veterans but showing that they’re capable of making plays and providing useful contributions off the bench can’t help but ease the mind of coach Brad Stevens when he considers contingency plans should the Celtics need any this year.

And right now, after five preseason games and a handful more practices, that’s all that should be expected of any of them. Label each of them ‘break in case of emergency.’

Look at the Celtics’ roster. The only spot that doesn’t go at least three deep is the small forward spot. Bearing that in mind, only Hunter makes sense as someone who might see minutes on a nightly basis and he still has Evan Turner in a contract year and freshly re-signed Jae Crowder ahead of him.

So let’s all take a deep breath regarding how rookies — and really anyone for that matter — look in the preseason. Naturally, it bodes far better for Rozier and Hunter to appear capable and as though they’re learning as opposed to, say, clueless. And appearing capable is all that’s required at the moment.

Because if either Terry Rozier and R.J. Hunter are playing meaningful, regular minutes for any prolonged stretch this season, that means the Celtics are in deep trouble.

Next: Boston Celtics Player Profile: Evan Turner

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