Terry Rozier returned on Tuesday after missing two games with discomfort in his right foot, though he didn’t reclaim his usual spot in the Heat’s starting lineup, as noted by Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.
For the first time this season – and only the second time since being traded from Charlotte last season – Rozier came off the bench. He scored 17 points in 21 minutes during the team’s loss to Milwaukee and expressed his readiness to embrace the change.
“It’s who finishes the game. It ain’t who starts,” Rozier said. “I think a lot of people want to start in this league. I’ve started for a while, and it’s not final. Like coach said, it’s nothing against me.
“It’s just trying something new and I’m going to roll with it. It’s a little adjustment that I’m willing to make as long as coach needs me to.”
The Heat had success in the two games Rozier missed, using a new starting lineup that included Duncan Robinson along with Tyler Herro, Jimmy Butler, Haywood Highsmith, and Bam Adebayo.
Despite the two wins, Chiang points out that this group has been outscored by 21.4 points per 100 possessions over the last three games. Still, coach Erik Spoelstra has opted to stick with it for now.
“I feel for Terry because, well one, he got hurt. And we’re at the beginning of a season right now where we’re searching,” Spoelstra said. “So the starting lineup is not an indictment at all on him.
“We had something that worked for two games. So, of course, we’re going to stick with that right now because we’re not where we want to be.”
Has Terry Rozier become the Heat's sixth man? https://t.co/toPNeVtK0U
— Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors) November 28, 2024
