LaMelo Ball better be ready, because Hornets’ Terry Rozier sure needs reinforcements
It’s admirable that Terry Rozier wants no part of blaming fatigue for the last two games.
It’s also B.S.
Rozier shot 8-of-35 from the field and 1-of-15 from 3-point range in back-to-back losses to the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics. He’s calling that a “slump,” adding he knows others will overreact. But no one is blaming him. This is a symptom: The Hornets in general and Rozier in particularly are fried.
They have Thursday and Friday off from games before playing the Detroit Pistons Saturday and Miami Heat Sunday. This is the Hornets’ last two days off between games the rest of the regular season. That’s fortunate timing, except what they really need is a week to regroup and refresh.
All things considered, the Hornets finished Wednesday respectably, recovering from a 20-point first-quarter deficit to lose 120-111. This was their ninth consecutive loss in Boston, which must bug ex-Celtic Rozier. He is prideful, mentally tough and fearless in crunch time.
He is also exhausted, whether or not he admits it.
“No excuses. We’re blessed to be in the position we’re in, to play the game we love,” Rozier said. “We’ve just got to get through it. Everybody else is playing a lot of games, too.”
While that’s true, leading scorer Rozier has become the flash point of the Hornets’ injury absences. LaMelo Ball, Gordon Hayward and Malik Monk all missing the past several weeks has doubled, perhaps tripled, Rozier’s burden. He is this team’s go-to scorer, a key part of the defense and now part-time point guard.
While this is the best of Rozier’s six NBA seasons, he would have to be just about super-human for all these games, all these minutes, all these different responsibilities not to wear on him.
“You’re going to have slumps. You’re going to have games where shots might not fall,” Rozier said. “A lot of people, they’re going to overreact. My job is to look myself in the mirror, stay poised, and just take the blame. Worry about the next game.”
Reinforcements desperately needed
In a sense, the two days off might be of more consequence to the Hornets right now than game days. The plan is for Ball (broken wrist) and Monk (sprained ankle) to scrimmage with the non-rotation players to test whether they are ready for games.
Small forward Hayward is further away from playing. He is still wearing a walking boot to protect his sprained right foot.
There’s hope Ball and Monk can both play this weekend. Ball has been out since March 20 and Monk since April 1, so each will need time to re-acclimate; their impact won’t be automatic. However, anything they can contribute could make a difference with just 10 regular season games left and the Hornets so shorthanded.
Devonte Graham had back-to-back 25-point games against the Bucks and Celtics. Miles Bridges and P.J. Washington have also just about maxed out lately. It’s not that the Hornets are under-performing. Rather, it’s that there just aren’t enough options, enough depth, to widen what is a tiny margin for error.
Taking games off not an option
Coach James Borrego was asked post-game if fatigue has reached a point where sitting Rozier for a game might be warranted.
“I’d like to rest all the guys, to be honest. The reality is this is the schedule. This is the NBA,” Borrego said. “We rested Terry one time (against the Los Angeles Lakers April 13); as a competitor he wants to play.”
“Load management” is a trendy term in the NBA. Except with so few impact players, so few games and so much at stake in this playoff race, there is no one Borrego can spare.
“I’ve tried to manage their minds and their bodies throughout the season,” Borrego said. “We’ve got the final 10 here. We need every one of them.”
This story was originally published April 28, 2021 at 11:39 PM with the headline "LaMelo Ball better be ready, because Hornets’ Terry Rozier sure needs reinforcements."
