Rozier showed nice, steady improvement during his sophomore season in Boston, increasing his playing time from 8.0 minutes per game his rookie season to 17.0 minutes per game last year. Rozier’s tight defense and combo-guard skills also earned him key minutes during the Celtics’ playoff run, proving that coach Brad Stevens trusts Rozier. And now that long time Celtic Avery Bradley has been dealt to Detroit, the door is open for Rozier to see even more minutes in 2017-18. Expect Rozier to see key minutes backing up Kyrie Irving at the point and the combination of Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown at shooting guard. Considering Irving’s lack of defensive skills, Rozier will certainly be called on to slow down opposing star point guards. Rozier’s name was mentioned in a few trade rumors last year, in particular as part of a package that might have landed Boston a second-half rental of Serge Ibaka. The fact that GM Danny Ainge wouldn’t part with Rozier demonstrates that Boston is committed to further developing their 2015 first-round pick. Expect continued improvement and minutes for Rozier during his third year in Celtic green.

Rozier, a first-round pick out of Louisville, appeared in only 39 games for the Celtics last season, spending much of his rookie year glued to the bench behind Isaiah Thomas, Marcus Smart and Evan Turner. He also made 14 appearances for the Maine Red Claws of the D-League, averaging 19.4 points, 8.0 assists, 6.4 rebounds and 1.9 steals in just under 34 minutes per game. It's difficult to draw any conclusions from his modest per-game averages with the Celtics -- 1.8 points, 1.6 rebounds, 0.9 rebounds -- but the most glaring takeaway is that Rozier, already an excellent defender, must improve as a shooter. The 22-year-old converted only 27.4 percent of his field-goal and 22.2 percent of his three-point attempts last season. His D-League percentages were more respectable, but he still failed to reach 40 percent shooting, while converting less than 34 percent of his 5.3 three-point attempts per game. Looking ahead, Rozier remains on more of a long-term development trajectory, though he'll likely see a slightly increased role as the Celtics' third point guard in 2016-17.

Some were surprised when Boston selected Rozier with the 16th overall pick in the 2015 draft. The diminutive 6-2 guard seems to be entering a backcourt logjam, entrenched behind 2014 first-round pick Marcus Smart and offensive sparkplug Isaiah Thomas. One must wonder how many minutes at point guard will be available for Rozier, barring injuries to Smart or Thomas. As occurred last year with James Young, Rozier seems destined for a year of lots of bench time in Boston while occasionally playing with the D-League Red Claws. That said, Rozier held his own in summer league, starting all five matches for the Celtics with averages of 12.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.0 steal over 28 minutes per game. Those numbers don't leap of the screen but do offer hope for the future. Rozier will most likely begin the season buried on the depth chart.