Stats suggest Terry Rozier may be the best little-man rebounder in the NBA


In the Celtics 107-100 victory over the Lakers Sunday night, Terry Rozier saw a career-high 21 minutes of action.  The rookie guard posted six points, seven rebounds, three assists, one steal and a coast-to-coast layup that is likely his NBA highlight so far:


Notice how the play began--with a rebound.  If you haven't picked up on it yet, Rozier is an animal on the boards.  See Exhibit A, the above photo of him skying over centers Marreese Speights and Amir Johnson, and Exhibit B, the Vine below:



Against the Warriors Friday, Rozier tallied five rebounds over 17 minutes of floor time.  In his last action before that, he snagged another five in 20 minutes.  Back on March 11, Rozier pulled down seven caroms in just 10 minutes vs. the Rockets.

For the season, the 22-year-old is averaging 1.7 rebounds per game, but he's also playing only eight minutes per contest.  Rozier's per-36-minute rebounding average is 7.6, which is fourth in the entire NBA for guards.  Among players under 6'4", only Russell Westbrook (8.1) has a higher per-36 number than Rozier (with old friend Rajon Rondo third at 6.1).

Westbrook, who's 6'3", grabs 12.1 percent of all available rebounds when he's on the court.  The 6'2" Rozier hauls in 10.4 percent, which is the best rate in the league for players his height and shorter.

Granted, Rozier has logged a total of just 280 minutes in the NBA, with many of them coming in short garbage-time bursts.  It's hard to say if he can keep this up given regular/consistent playing time.  But if his last three games are any indication, maybe he can.



Follow Mark Vandeusen on Twitter @LucidSportsFan
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