Terry Rozier is gone and the Hornets aren’t the same. ‘We’ve got to move on quickly’
Knowing Terry Rozier is no longer around conjured up mixed emotions within Steve Clifford.
“Happy for him,” the Charlotte Hornets coach said. “I told the guys it’s part of this league. Change is a big part of the NBA and we’ve got to move on quickly.”
They didn’t get off to a good start on Wednesday, dropping a 113-106 loss to lowly the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena, marking the Hornets’ second defeat to the team with the NBA’s worst record. Replacing Rozier’s career numbers — he was averaging 23.2 points per game — may be a tough chore initially as the Hornets sift through the lineup changes.
“It’s going to be hard,” Clifford said. “He’s been playing incredibly well. Plus, just his impact on his teammates with the way that he works, the way that he handles himself, those are things that we will lose and there will be more opportunities. More opportunities for Brandon (Miller) and we’re going to need guys to evolve here as we move on.”
Particularly from a leadership standpoint. Rozier was an integral figure behind the scenes.
He organized the optional player workouts in September with hopes of getting the team out of its funk, but then came the inordinate number of injuries. The void will have to be filled by others, beginning with their chief building block LaMelo Ball, and take collective responsibility.
But that may take time.
“I think that can evolve,” Clifford said. “I don’t think you can ask guys to be something that they’re not. He was great in the way that he practiced, because he truly cares. Anytime we did a drill in practice, particularly defensively, he’d be the first guy to jump in. I think things like that are hard to replace and they can’t be faked. We have other guys who have leadership qualities, too, and now they’ll have more of an opportunity to step forward.”
That’s going to be chief among the Hornets’ tasks over the coming weeks as they navigate the inevitable change on the horizon. Many of the younger players will see an uptick in action and putting them in the proper position to thrive as they develop is key.
“In my experience, with younger guys you’ve got to start them with roles that they can play well in,” Clifford said. “Right now, Nick Smith Jr. is in a role that he’s doing a good job with. If you double that, it’s going to be hard. What we need is some of these other guys to play a bit more. Nick Smith Jr. can play a little bit more, but he’s just not ready for 26 minutes a night.
“He’s doing a really good job with the minutes he’s been given, but we’re going to have to figure that out.”
Having Ball back in the mix should aid in that process.
“He’s our best player,” Clifford said. “You can tell he’s still getting into shape. He missed six weeks. He came back as soon as he was ready, but he’s not in great shape or great rhythm. It changes our whole team. When you lose your best offensive player, it’s a problem for anybody. Not many teams have ever been able to do that and play well.”
