NBA: 10 relative unknowns approaching defining seasons in 2018-19

Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images
Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images /
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1. Terry Rozier, Boston Celtics

Terry Rozier is probably the most established player on this list, and yet, like Spencer Dinwiddie, it’s hard to determine whether he’s a starting-caliber point guard for a winning team, or simply too good to be a backup.

There was plenty of evidence during the Boston Celtics‘ improbable run late in the regular season and throughout the playoffs that Rozier could become that guy, but 16 regular season starts and 19 playoff games are still an admittedly small sample size, even for the grandest of optimists.

During those 16 starts, Scary Terry posted 15.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game. Though he only shot 38.1 percent from the field, he converted 38.9 percent of his 3-pointers and upped his game to 16.5 points, 5.7 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game on .406/.347/.821 shooting splits in the postseason.

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Rozier delivered plenty of big buckets during that unexpected playoff run, but it became clear in the Eastern Conference Finals that the Celtics were, in fact, not just as good without Kyrie Irving out there. They needed dependable offense, and the 24-year-old Rozier wasn’t able to answer the bell.

That alone doesn’t mean anyone should give up on his prospects as a starting NBA point guard. Just look at the Suns’ point guard situation, which is why it’s no surprise they already tried to trade for him. He’s still young and it was his first time starting in his three-year NBA career. With Irving being an unrestricted free agent next summer, Rozier being a restricted free agent and Marcus Smart re-signing this summer, something’s got to give.

Smart could be packaged as part of a blockbuster trade this season, and Irving could leave in free agency for the New York Knicks, but that suddenly seems less plausible, meaning the end result could be Rozier being traded ahead of time to avoid losing him for nothing in 2019 free agency.

Either way, this is a big season for Scary Terry, not only because the Celtics have championship aspirations, but because he’ll be looking to prove he’s too good to be a second- or third-string point guard. Can he reliably knock down 3s? Can he be more efficient? Can he take care of the ball, fine-tune his playmaking, dominate other backups and provide stifling defense to build on a mini-breakout year?

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Terry Rozier is the most familiar player on this list, and yet somehow, we have no idea how high he can climb just yet. As the likely odd man out in Boston’s backcourt, you can be guaranteed plenty of teams will be watching to find out.