Terry Rozier is Having a Career Year

Terry Rozier has been nothing short of spectacular for the Hornets this season.

Author:
Austin Leake
Jan 16, 2024 12:29 PM EST

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Terry Rozier has been one of the Hornets' most prominent players since joining the team in 2019. The fan base opinion has been split on his production through years of turbulence, but Rozier's productivity has remained one of few constants.

Rozier is averaging career highs in multiple categories including points, assists, field goal percentage, free throw percentage, and field goals made per game. He is currently sitting at 24.3 points, 7.0 assists and just 2.1 turnovers per game, while shooting 46.3% from the field and 87.5% from the free throw line.

One of the most impressive parts of Rozier's season is his ability to increase his scoring while maintaining efficiency and improving his efficiency. Last season, Rozier averaged over 21 points a game, however, his percentages were the worst in his tenure with the Hornets.

Terry Rozier Stats Last Three Seasons
2021-2022 Season	2022-2023 Season	2023-2024 Season
19.3 PPG	21.1 PPG	24.0 PPG
4.5 AST	5.1 AST	6.8 AST
4.3 REB	4.1 REB	3.8 REB
44.4% Field Goal (7.1-16.0 FGA)	41.5% Field Goal (7.8-18.9 FGA)	45.7% Field Goal (8.7-18.7 FGA)
37.4% Three-Point (3.0-8.1 3PA)	32.7% Three-Point (2.6-8.0 3PA)	36.9% Three Point (2.8-7.6 3PA)
85.2% Free Throw (2.1-2.4 FTA)	80.9% Free Throw (2.8-3.5 FTA)	87.5% Free Throw (4.1-4.7 FTA)

Not only has Rozier had to take on more of a leadership role, but he's also had to become more of a playmaker, in part to the injury of LaMelo Ball in late November. As a matter of fact, they've only played in five games together and two of those games resulted in Ball or Rozier having to leave the game early with an injury.

Along with having to become more of a playmaker and leader, Rozier has also had to take on more of a scoring role. Simply put, with the lack of weapons that Rozier has around him, he's had to get his teammates involved more, while also scoring the ball at a high rate, which he's done. With so many players in and out of the lineup it's difficult to develop a connection and chemistry with the players available.

Rozier's consistency has been something to note. He's achieved 18 or more points in 21 of his 24 games played and has shot better than 40% in 18 of those games. Not only has his consistency been evident, but so has Rozier's shot making ability and scoring. Rozier already has six 30+ point games this season, while only having four in the 2022-2023 season in 63 games. Two of Rozier's 30+ point performances resulted in 10+ assists as well, which he had done just once in his career previously in 2021.

Rozier currently sits at 21st in points per game in the NBA, ranking above well-known players, such as Tyrese Haliburton, Brandon Ingram, DeMar DeRozan, Jaylen Brown, Paolo Banchero and Kawhi Leonard.

Rozier has played just as well as some of the primer guards in the league such as Kyrie Irving and Damian Lillard. Below is a chart highlighting Rozier's play versus these star players.

2023-2024 Statistics
Comparing Rozier Vs Irving/Lillard
Terry Rozier: 24.0 PPG 6.8 AST 3.8 REB 45.7% FG 36.9% 3PT 18.7 FGA
Kyrie Irving: 24.8 PPG 5.3 AST 5.0 REB 48.3% FG 42.6% 3PT 18.8 FGA
Damian Lillard: 25.0 PPG 6.8 AST 4.3 REB 43.0% FG 35.2% 3PT 17.0 FGA

Terry has had one of the greatest seasons statistically in Hornets' history thus far. If the season ended today, he would have the third-highest single-season scoring average in franchise history behind only Glen Rice (26.8 ppg) in the 1996-97 season and more recently, Kemba Walker (25.8 ppg) in the 2018-19 season.

Some have compared this year's version of T-Ro to Kemba Walker's best season in Charlotte.

Comparing Terry Rozier and Kemba Walker's Best Seasons
Kemba Walker 2018-2019 Season	Terry Rozier 2023-2024 Season
25.6 PPG 5.9 AST 4.4 REB 43.4% FG 35.6% 3PT 34.9 MPG 20.5 FGA 84.4% FT	24.3 PPG 7.0 AST 3.8 REB 46.3% FG 37.2% 3PT 36.0 MPG 18.7 FGA 87.5% FT

Rozier has been very impressive this season and without a doubt it's been the best of his career. Hornets' management will have to decide if they want to keep him around for the future beside LaMelo Ball or trade him while his value is at its highest.