How did Terry Rozier look in debut? There were flashes of ‘offensive punch’ Heat traded for

Terry Rozier’s first full day as a member of the Miami Heat was a long one that didn’t end the way he wanted. It began with a physical that was needed for the guard to be cleared to play with his new team and closed with one of the worst losses of the Heat’s season.

At the end of his Heat debut, Rozier was hard on himself after recording nine points on 3-of-11 shooting from the field, 1-of-5 shooting from three-point range and 2-of-2 shooting from the foul line, four rebounds, five assists and two steals in 29 minutes off the bench in the Heat’s ugly 105-96 home loss to the undermanned Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night.

Takeaways from the Heat’s loss to Memphis – Miami’s fourth consecutive setback

“It was definitely different, definitely different,” Rozier, 29, said when asked about his long day, which marked the start of a back-to-back set for the Heat that continues on Thursday against the Boston Celtics at Kaseya Center (7:30 p.m., TNT). “But I make no excuses. If I’m going to play, I’m going to give it my all. I just didn’t play pretty good today. So, just on to the next one.”

There was an opportunity for a storybook ending to Rozier’s first game with the Heat. With the Heat trailing by two points and less than two minutes to play in the fourth quarter, Rozier dribbled into a step-back three that would have given Miami its first lead since the first half, but the shot bounced off the rim.

“That’s his shot. That had an opportunity,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “I felt like, wow, this would have been a beautiful moment.”

While that beautiful moment never happened for Rozier, his explosive offensive skill set that the Heat dealt Kyle Lowry and a first-round pick to acquire flashed at times even if the possession didn’t necessarily end with a made shot.

For a Heat offense that desperately needs players who can generate shots around the rim, the 6-foot-1 Rozier tied center Bam Adebayo for the team high in shot attempts from within the restricted area with six in Wednesday’s loss to the Grizzlies. The issue is Rozier shot just 2 of 6 (33.3 percent) at the rim.

Rozier’s playmaking was also on display, finishing with six potential assists (any pass to a teammate who shoots within one dribble of receiving the ball). His final assist of the night was his best one, driving into the paint to collapse the defense and then kicking it out to Caleb Martin for an open three-pointer that cut the Grizzlies’ lead to three with late in the game.

The hope is that Rozier will help a floundering Heat offense that entered Thursday with the NBA’s 22nd-ranked offensive rating this season and 28th-ranked offensive rating in January.

“We can use some offensive punch right now and I think he has the personality and the game that will fit in,” Spoelstra said. “I don’t think he’s going to try to step in here and overpower anybody. I think he just wants to complement.”

Rozier said: “I’m not here to step on nobody’s toes. Obviously, I want to be me. But I’m just here to contribute and help this team get over that hump. That’s what I want to do.”

If anything, Heat coaches and players want Rozier to be more aggressive than he was in his debut.

“The biggest thing is just him getting comfortable,” Adebayo said. “I feel like he’s usually more aggressive. But today was kind of his feel-out, trying to figure out plays and sets and also trying to figure out the flow with all of us.”

The reality is the coming days and weeks will be an adjustment period for Rozier, who posted a career-high usage rate (an estimate of the percentage of team plays used by a player while on the court) of 26.8 percent with the Charlotte Hornets this season prior to the trade.

The Heat still wants Rozier to be himself and look for his own offense, but everybody involved knows his usage rate will go down and he won’t have as many shot attempts with the Heat. With the Heat’s leading trio of Adebayo, Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro still at the center of the offense, Rozier will need to fit in around them.

“I think he’s aware that he’s not going to come here with the same type of usage and everything that he had in Charlotte,” Spoelstra said. “That was one of the things that I talked to him about. He was already like, ‘Hey, I already get this. I understand and I want to contribute and help winning.’ That’s music to our ears and let’s just see how this all plays out.”

Rozier is trying to remain patient through it all, understanding that it will take time to learn the Heat’s system and build chemistry with his new teammates on both ends of the court.

“I don’t expect things to be perfect Day 1,” said Rozier, who played as a reserve in his Heat debut but is expected to be used as a starter moving forward. “But I feel good playing with those guys. As time goes, things will be way easier. ... It’s Day 1. Things don’t get judged off one day, so I’ll be alright. I’ll figure it out.”

The Heat is also taking the long view, understanding that Rozier can provide a much-needed boost.

“He is extremely skilled offensively, off the dribble and even some of the things he can do on the catch,” Spoelstra said. “Defensively, I think once he gets accustomed to how we do things, I think he can be very disruptive. He’s a physical defender, he’s got long arms, I think he can really create some havoc on that end of the court. And that will take some time.”

There may be more bumps along the way, but Rozier is willing to endure whatever is next.

After all, Miami is where Rozier wanted to play after growing up as a Heat and Dwyane Wade fan. It’s also an opportunity for Rozier to get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2019 as a member of the Celtics after not getting to playoffs during his four full seasons with the Hornets.

“Terry has a different perspective than a lot of guys,” Spoelstra said. “He competed at a really high level coming into this league in the playoffs. Once you’ve experienced that and then you go to another place — when you’re not in the playoffs, even if you’re developing and your game grows and you have more responsibilities — the real competitors, that’s not enough for them. And that’s how Terry felt, it felt empty. I think he just wants to get back into an environment where he can contribute and help a team win.”

That’s exactly what Rozier will try to do.

“It’s been no secret how much love I have for the Miami Heat growing up and D-Wade,” Rozier said. “So this is definitely a full-circle moment. I’m just happy to be back on that stage again in a playoff race. It’s huge.”

LOWRY LOVE

The addition of Rozier was met with excitement, but the Heat did not forget to praise Lowry on his way out.

“Kyle, you can never define him by his stats,” Spoelstra said Wednesday. “His whole career, and particularly as an ultimate winner, you define him by whether your team is winning or not and how it was functioning. The first two years, the resume speaks for itself. The Eastern Conference finals [in 2022] and then going to the Finals [in 2023]. He was a big part of both seasons.”

Lowry, 37, played two-plus seasons with the Heat. Despite being traded to the Hornets, he’s not expected to play for the Hornets and is a buyout candidate if Charlotte can’t move him in another deal prior to the NBA’s Feb. 8 trade deadline.

“I just really respect him and enjoy him as a human being,” Spoelstra continued. “I’ll miss that. This is just part of the business. You come to really develop some strong relationships with people and then sometimes you have to make a business decision and that’s what this was.”

INJURY REPORT

The Heat ruled out rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. for Thursday’s matchup against the Celtics because of a strained left groin. It marks the sixth straight game that he has missed.

The only other Heat players ruled out for the contest are Kevin Love (stomach illness) Dru Smith (season-ending knee surgery).

The Celtics do not have any injuries to report ahead of Thursday’s game in Miami.