Terry Rozier re-signing with Hornets was an easy call. Charlotte has the NBA on watch
When the Charlotte Hornets acquired Terry Rozier in a sign-and-trade deal following Kemba Walker’s departure in 2019, no one knew how it’d work out.
Walker had been, arguably, one of the Hornets’ best players in franchise history, and here was Rozier, primarily a sixth man for the Boston Celtics, having to replace him.
While he didn’t need to be Walker, he needed to be efficient and help them win.
He did that and helped lead the Hornets to the NBA’s play-in tournament last season despite injuries to key players around him. His efforts were rewarded earlier this month with a four-year, $97 million contract extension with the Hornets.
Rozier’s deal made him one of the NBA’s 10 highest-paid shooting guards, per Spotrac.
“I fell in love with everything,” Rozier said Wednesday. “I fell in love with the city, the team, the coaches and stuff, so it’s been up ever since then and I never looked back.”
Having Michael Jordan as the team’s owner helped too, he said.
But Rozier sees potential in the Hornets, as do others around the league.
“Last year we were right there, had our foot in the door, but things got taken away from us due to injury. But I think we’re heading in the right direction and I’m just glad to be a part of this.”
The Hornets finished 33-39 during the 2020-21 season and were two wins away from the playoffs.
Rozier, 27, was critical to that success and has been over the past two years. He averaged a career-best 20.4 points per game last season as the Hornets’ starting shooting guard, along with 4.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists.
When he came to the Hornets ahead of the 2019-20 season, the plan at the time was for him to play point guard. But the development of Devonte’ Graham that season gave Charlotte a sharp-shooting guard combo with Rozier sliding over to the No. 2 spot on the floor.
He shined even more as a shooting guard this past season with the nickname “Scary Terry” thanks to his clutch shooting in the fourth quarter of games to keep the Hornets in playoff contention after injuries to LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges and Gordon Hayward.
In addition to re-signing Rozier, the Hornets acquired center Mason Plumlee in a trade, signed forward Kelly Oubre and point guard Ish Smith in free agency, and selected James Bouknight and Kai Jones in the first round of the 2021 NBA draft.
Ball, the 2020-21 NBA Rookie of the Year, has a year of experience under his belt and Rozier remains in the middle of his prime years.
“I think it’s going to be real scary,” Rozier said of the Hornets’ backcourt with Ball. “I think it’s great that we’re friends off the court. That’s a plus for us. Real cool friends, like my brother. He just had to get his feet wet last year, and I think he’s ready to show people what that name is about.”
Hornets general manager Mitch Kupchak said earlier this offseason that the goal for the Hornets this season is to make it to the playoffs and advance. Rozier says that’s possible.
“Just hearing from my peers around the league, seeing stuff, people are really excited,” Rozier said. “We’re one of the most exciting teams to watch. We’ve got the hype behind us, now we’ve got to live up to it.”
Terry Rozier has found a home with the Charlotte Hornets, anticipates forming a ‘real scary’ tandem with LaMelo
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“I didn’t really expect people to be super-hyped about it, but I knew by my style of play, the way I play, I was going to turn a lot of heads. I’m just fortunate to be in the position I am now and I’m just glad that the fans can appreciate all of us as a whole. And we’re looking forward to the season.”
One that will feature a host of new teammates for Rozier. The Hornets traded for Mason Plumlee, drafted James Bouknight, Kai Jones, JT Thor and Scottie Lewis, and signed free agents Kelly Oubre and Ish Smith. Pair them with the returning core featuring LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges and Gordon Hayward, and the Hornets think they have enough talent to vault themselves into the postseason.
Rozier seemed pleased with the team’s offseason re-tooling.
“It’s going to be huge,” he said. “It’s going to be huge. Ish is a guy who is a nightmare to guard night-in, night-out. He plays with the same tempo — which is fast as hell. Nobody really wants to guard that. When Melo comes out the game, the tempo will stay up. He’s a great addition. Kelly Oubre, we got drafted the same year. I met him right before the draft. Plays above the rim, plays hard as hell. Loves the defensive assignment, wants to guard the best player. So that’s going to be great. And then we got Mason Plumlee. Great passer, plays above the rim, too. Catches lobs, blocks shots. So, I think we got a lot better. Happy to have him and great additions to our team.”
Locking Rozier in for the next five seasons also means he will be forming a backcourt with Ball for the long term. The duo have developed a close-knit bond already and it should only be strengthened knowing neither is likely going anywhere any time soon.
“I think it’s going to be great,” Rozier said. “I think it’s going to be real scary. I think it’s great that we’re friends off the court. I think that’s a plus for us. Real, real cool friends. That’s really like my brother. So, I think he just had to get his feet wet. He won Rookie of the Year. He had to get his feet wet last year, and now I think he’s really ready. I think he’s ready to show people what that name is about. I’m just glad to be next to him and we’re going to do our thing.”
With everything, he hopes, continuing to gravitate in the very same trajectory as it has for the better portion of these two years in Charlotte.
“It’s just going in an up position,” Rozier said. “When I first got here, first season, things shut down because of COVID, but we were trending in the right way. Last year, we were right there, had our foot in the door. Things got taken away from us due to injury. I think we’re heading up and we’re heading in the right direction and I’m just glad to be a part of this. And I’m just glad things have been trending in a positive way ever since I got here. Just want to keep grinding and keep working at that.”
Terry Rozier
 Rozier with the Boston Celtics in 2018
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| No. 3 – Charlotte Hornets | |
|---|---|
| Position | Shooting guard / Point guard |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | March 17, 1994 Youngstown, Ohio |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Listed weight | 190 lb (86 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | |
| College | Louisville (2013–2015) |
| NBA draft | 2015 / Round: 1 / Pick: 16th overall |
| Selected by the Boston Celtics | |
| Playing career | 2015–present |
| Career history | |
| 2015–2019 | Boston Celtics |
| 2015–2016 | →Maine Red Claws |
| 2019–present | Charlotte Hornets |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Stats  |
|
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Terry William Rozier III (born March 17, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Louisville Cardinals before being selected with the 16th overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics.
High school career
Rozier starred at Shaker Heights High School in Shaker Heights, Ohio, graduating in 2012. In his senior year, he averaged 25.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 4.7 steals per game while leading Shaker to a 21–3 record and taking them to the regional semifinals as a senior for the first time since 2002. He was named an All-Lake Erie League selection for three years and was 74th in recruiting ranking on ESPNU‘s Top 100 Players list in 2012.
As he needed to improve his grades, Rozier initially played at Hargrave Military Academy before joining Louisville. In his 2012–13 campaign at Hargrave, Rozier averaged 29.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 5.6 assists while the team went 38–8; he also earned the 2012 Kentucky Derby Festival Basketball Classic MVP and placed second in the dunk and three-point contest that season.
College career
As a freshman at Louisville in 2013–14, Rozier averaged 7.0 points and 3.1 rebounds per game in 37 games, and made the AAC All-Rookie Team. As a sophomore in 2014–15, Rozier led the Cardinals in scoring with 17.1 points per game, and was named second-team All-ACC. On March 30, 2015, Rozier and Louisville teammate Montrezl Harrell declared for the 2015 NBA draft.
Professional career
Boston Celtics (2015–2019)
2015–16 season
On June 25, 2015, Rozier was selected by the Boston Celtics with the 16th overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft. On July 27, 2015, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Celtics. Entering his rookie season, he drew comparisons to Damian Lillard. During his rookie season, he received multiple assignments to the Maine Red Claws, Boston’s D-League affiliate. He appeared in 39 regular season games for the Celtics in 2015–16, scoring a season-high seven points twice. In his first playoff game, he scored 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting against the Atlanta Hawks.
2016–17 season
On November 12, 2016, Rozier scored a career-high 11 points in a 105–99 win over the Indiana Pacers. He topped that mark nine days later, scoring 12 points in a 99–93 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. On December 7, he had a 16-point game in a 117–87 win over the Orlando Magic. On March 19, 2017, he recorded his first career double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds in a 105–99 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.
2017–18 season
On November 24, 2017, Rozier had a career-high 23 points in a 118–103 win over the Orlando Magic. On December 18, he made a steal and go-ahead dunk with 1.5 seconds remaining that gave the Celtics a 112–111 victory over the Indiana Pacers. On January 3, 2018, Rozier had a game-high 20 points in a 102-88 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. On January 31, Rozier logged his first career triple-double in his first NBA start to help the Celtics to a 103–73 victory over the New York Knicks. He recorded 17 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists to become just the second player in NBA history with a triple-double in his first start, joining Tony Wroten, who set the initial record on November 13, 2013, with the Philadelphia 76ers. Two days later, in his second career start, Rozier scored a career-high 31 points in a 119–110 win over the Hawks. On March 25, in his sixth start in place of the injured Kyrie Irving, Rozier scored a career-high 33 points in a 104–93 win over the Sacramento Kings. He also had five rebounds and three assists, and shot 12 of 16 from the field, including 8 of 12 on 3-pointers. In Game 2 of the Celtics’ first-round playoff series against the Milwaukee Bucks, Rozier scored 23 points in helping Boston take a 2–0 series lead with a 120–106 win. In Game 7, Rozier scored 26 points in a 112–96 win over the Bucks. In Game 1 of their second-round series against the 76ers, Rozier recorded 29 points, eight rebounds and six assists in a 117–101 win. In Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Rozier scored 28 points in a 109–99 loss to the Cavaliers. In Game 7, Rozier missed all 10 of his 3-point attempts, as the Celtics bowed out of the playoffs with an 87–79 loss.
2018–19 season
In early November, Rozier was reportedly unhappy with his playing time to begin the 2018–19 season, having gone from starting in the playoffs to coming off the bench.[31] On November 9, Rozier scored a then season-high 22 points in a 123–115 loss to the Utah Jazz, making his first start of the season in place of Irving.[32] On January 23, he scored 22 of his 26 points in the first half of the Celtics’ 123–103 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. He became the first Celtics player to score 20 or more points in a half on perfect shooting since Paul Pierce went 7 for 7 and had 20 in the second half against the Chicago Bulls on October 30, 2009. On January 30, he had 17 points and tied a career high with 10 assists in a 126–94 win over the Charlotte Hornets. On March 11, he had 26 points in a 140–115 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Charlotte Hornets (2019–present)
On July 6, 2019, Rozier was traded to the Charlotte Hornets, as part of a sign-and-trade deal involving Kemba Walker. The contract was for three years and $56.7 million. On December 18, 2019, he scored a then career-high 35 points in a 100–98 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. He would surpass that on March 8, 2020, scoring 40 points in a 143–138 double overtime loss to the Atlanta Hawks.
On December 23, 2020, Rozier put up a career-high 42 points, along with three rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one block, in a 121–114 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Career statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
NBA
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015–16 | Boston | 39 | 0 | 8.0 | .274 | .222 | .800 | 1.6 | .9 | .2 | .0 | 1.8 |
| 2016–17 | Boston | 74 | 0 | 17.1 | .367 | .318 | .773 | 3.1 | 1.8 | .6 | .1 | 5.5 |
| 2017–18 | Boston | 80 | 16 | 25.9 | .395 | .381 | .772 | 4.7 | 2.9 | 1.0 | .2 | 11.3 |
| 2018–19 | Boston | 79 | 14 | 22.7 | .387 | .353 | .785 | 3.9 | 2.9 | .9 | .3 | 9.0 |
| 2019–20 | Charlotte | 63 | 63 | 34.3 | .423 | .407 | .874 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 1.0 | .2 | 18.0 |
| 2020–21 | Charlotte | 69 | 69 | 34.5 | .450 | .389 | .817 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 1.3 | .4 | 20.4 |
| Career | 404 | 162 | 24.7 | .410 | .376 | .814 | 3.8 | 2.9 | .9 | .2 | 11.5 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Boston | 5 | 0 | 19.8 | .391 | .364 | 1.000 | 3.4 | 1.2 | .2 | .6 | 4.8 |
| 2017 | Boston | 17 | 0 | 16.3 | .402 | .368 | .800 | 2.6 | 1.9 | .6 | .2 | 5.6 |
| 2018 | Boston | 19 | 19 | 36.6 | .406 | .347 | .821 | 5.3 | 5.7 | 1.3 | .3 | 16.5 |
| 2019 | Boston | 9 | 0 | 18.0 | .322 | .235 | .750 | 4.3 | 1.9 | .4 | .2 | 6.4 |
| Career | 50 | 19 | 24.7 | .393 | .335 | .809 | 4.0 | 3.3 | .8 | .3 | 9.8 | |
College
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013–14 | Louisville | 37 | 10 | 18.9 | .401 | .371 | .712 | 3.1 | 1.8 | 1.0 | .1 | 7.0 |
| 2014–15 | Louisville | 36 | 35 | 35.0 | .411 | .306 | .790 | 5.6 | 3.0 | 2.0 | .2 | 17.1 |
| Career | 73 | 45 | 26.8 | .408 | .331 | .772 | 4.3 | 2.4 | 1.5 | .1 | 12.0 | |
