Since arriving in Miami nearly a week ago, Terry Rozier has struggled to duplicate his Charlotte Hornets success as a member of the Miami Heat.
Through three games, Rozier is averaging 8.7 points on 30.3% shooting, 5 assists and 3.7 rebounds. All marks are lower than what he averaged in 30 games with the Hornets before getting traded to the Heat for Kyle Lowry and a future first-round pick: 23.2 points on 45.9% shooting, 6.6 assists and 3.9 rebounds.
It can be hard to fit in with a new team halfway through the season, but Miami’s leaders are telling Rozier to keep playing his game.
Jimmy Butler and Erik Spoelstra are telling Terry Rozier to keep playing his game despite his shooting struggles since joining the Miami Heat.
“We need him to be him,” Jimmy Butler said. “We want him to be him. That’s the reason that he’s here. The more comfortable he gets, the more he realizes that. We’re all in your corner to shoot the ball, to be aggressive, to attack. So as much as we’re on him about it, we’ll be on him even more about it because we want him to be him.”
Rozier has shot just 10 for 33 in his three games and is averaging seven fewer shots per game than he did in Charlotte as he plays alongside Butler, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro.
“He’ll figure it out,” Erik Spoelstra said. “He’s trying to fit in and I get that. We’re all saying the same thing. We want Terry to be Terry.”
The Heat, losers of six straight as they head into a Monday night home game against the Phoenix Suns, have yet to win a game since the acquisition.
But some of Miami’s struggles have to do with bad shooting luck against tough opponents. There are signs of things that work, especially when it comes to Rozier getting to the basket and kicking out to teammates. Despite the new role and teamwide shooting struggles, Rozier’s assist numbers have dropped by only a hair.
“He’s going to unlock other things for us,” Spoelstra said. “You can see the burst that he gives us, the rim pressure, which we need. That’s not just the head coach saying that, that’s his teammates saying that.”