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2015 NBA Draft Profile: Terry Rozier
- Updated: April 2, 2015
AP Photo/Elaine Thompson
Terry Rozier
6-1, 190 lbs.
Hometown: Youngstown, OH
College: Louisville
Class: Sophomore
NBA Comparison: Avery Bradley/Dennis Schroder
Projected: Late First Round/Second Round (Picks 20-35)
“You may have some doubts about Terry, but I don’t.” That’s how Louisville head coach Rick Pitino described guard Terry Rozier’s decision to leave school after his sophomore season. It’s not all about basketball.
“Terry looks at home and sees his mom working two jobs, and she’s going 16, 17 hours a day,” Pitino told reporters. “And he says, OK, maybe I wouldn’t be drafted as high as I would be if I waited one more year, but I’d rather sacrifice that for my mom not having to work two jobs.”
Rozier will have to improve his shot at the next level. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
She won’t have to do that anymore. Rozier is projected as a potential first-round pick, thanks to his next-level speed, athleticism, and tenacious approach to the game. The 6-1 guard has long arms (a 6-7 wingspan), a good vertical leap, and was the point man on Pitino’s press this past season, where he racked up 2 steals per game.
Rozier’s NBA buzz really began before his sophomore season though, when he was a star at the LeBron James Skills Academy and Adidas Nation camp. That’s when NBA types decided he could become a first-rounder.
After a year in which he served as Russ Smith’s backup and averaged just 7 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists in 19 minutes per game, Rozier came into his own as a starter this season.
He put up 17.1 points, 5.6 rebounds (shows his athleticism for a 6-1 guy), and 3 assists in 35 minutes per.
The knock on Rozier is his shooting ability, as he shot only 41% from the field this year (and 6-for-23 in the Elite Eight game against Michigan State). He also shot just 30% from three. He can work on that once he gets to the pros, but until his broken jumper is fixed, Rozier will be very easy for NBA guys to guard.
Rozier played a lot of 2-guard at Louisville, but he’ll be exclusively a point guard in the NBA, so he’ll also have to improve his decision-making skills. His assist-to-turnover ratio wasn’t great at 3.0 to 2.2 this season.
