Boston Celtics: 3 goals for Terry Rozier in 2018-19
3. Average over 4 assists per game
Rozier has never averaged over three assists in his three NBA seasons. This last season he averaged 2.9 assists per game. It’s hard to do so when he’s not being inserted into the starting lineup or being given more minutes.
He did have a career high in minutes last year with 25.9 per game, however. That number is heading in the right direction and part of that reason was Rozier starting 16 games. Irving always seems to get injured each year, which means that Rozier must capitalize on every extra minute he gets when that happens.
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When given the call to start, Rozier averaged 5.1 assists per game. Having him set out for four assists per game doesn’t too far out of reach. Off the bench, however, he only averaged 2.3 assists per game. Now that he has more experience and a likely larger role, Rozier has the clear ability to get to at least four per game.
The Celtics’ roster is talented and that will make this goal easier for him to accomplish. Getting his teammates involved will keep opponents guessing as well. They won’t be sure if he is going to score or distribute to others.
The only thing that might make this a little more tricky is that Rozier is a score-first point guard. He does get a little trigger-happy and shoots the ball more times than he should. There have been quite a few questionable shots that he’s taken when he probably should’ve passed to someone else.
There was reason for it in the playoffs when Boston needed scorers, but with a healthy Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward back on the floor, and the Celtics looking to win another championship this season, getting his teammates involved and averaging four assists would be a step in the right direction for Rozier.