NBA Draft Profile: Terry Rozier

The Dallas Mavericks hold the 21st and 52nd picks in Thursday’s NBA Draft, and with a lot of roster uncertainty heading in to the free agency period could go in any direction with their selections.

Popular opinion is that the Mavericks will look to address their depth at the point guard position with their first round pick, which makes sense. Though Raymond Felton has officially opted in, JJ Barea is a free agent and Rajon Rondo will not return.

Plus, the 2015 draft class is rather deep at the position and the Mavericks could very well find a quality floor general even as far down as #21.

One of those could be Louisville sophomore Terry Rozier, who goes to the Mavericks in Kevin O’Connor’s mock draft for SB Nation.

Mar 29, 2015; Syracuse, NY, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard Terry Rozier (0) passes the ball against Michigan State Spartans guard/forward Branden Dawson (22) and forward Matt Costello (10) during the second half in the finals of the east regional of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Carrier Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Terry Rozier: PG – Louisville, SO

21-years old
6’2″, 190 lbs
2014-15 Averages: 17.1 points, 3.0 assists, 5.6 rebounds, 41.1 FG%, 30.6 3P%

Strengths

Tenacious defender
Strong frame, athleticism
Tight handle, gets into the lane with ease
Great rebounder for his size

Terry Rozier is a strong, athletic combo guard capable of pouring in 20 points on a given night but still developing as a decision maker and distributor.

The 17.1 points a night look great at first glance, but at 41% from the floor it took Rozier 14.5 attempts a game to get there. And though he shot a strong 37% from three-point range his freshman season, Rozier connected at just a 30.6% clip in 2014-15 when the attempts went up. A big part of that relates back to him developing as a decision maker, as his shot selection came in to question on a regular basis.

But he is tough, a dogged defender, a great rebounder for his position, and a force in transition. Great qualities for a team like the Mavericks.

Weaknesses

No defined position
Project at point guard
Questionable shot selection
Is he a floor spacer?

Terry Rozier has some fine qualities, and with some development could be a solid rotation player as a spark plug off the bench, but drafting him at #21 might be a little early. He could progress to become an Eric Bledsoe-ish player, but I just don’t see it.

Check out his highlights from 2014-15 below.

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