Heat guard Terry Rozier avoids major knee injury, considered week-to-week

Monday update: According to Shams Charania, Rozier has avoided a major knee injury. He was unable to come back to Sunday’s game and although that was partially due to him being unable to shoot free throws, there was concern he’d be done for the year. Instead, Rozier has a knee sprain and is considered week-to-week ahead of the All-Star break.

Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier is out for the rest of Sunday’s game against the Boston Celtics after appearing to suffer a gruesome knee injury in the third quarter. Rozier initially stayed down after his drive to the basket resulted in a collision which caused the injury, although he was able to walk back to the locker room with some assistance. Because he was fouled and did not shoot the free throws, Rozier is ineligible to return to the game.

Rozier was the big trade deadline acquisition for Miami, adding defense on the perimeter while also providing some scoring punch of a team that historically hasn’t gotten much offense outside of its stars. Rozier also takes some of the ball-handling pressure off Tyler Herro. He finishes Sunday’s game with 13 points, six assists and four rebounds.

With Rozier out for the rest of the game, look for Herro and Duncan Robinson to take over most of the usage in the backcourt. If the guard is out for an extended period of time, Josh Richardson could also see extended playing time as the Heat try to make up for his absence. Richardson left Sunday’s game with a shoulder injury, and Miami entered the contest without Jimmy Butler for personal reasons.

Depending on the severity of the injuries to Richardson and Rozier, the Heat could explore the buyout market and the G League for some backcourt help. Dru Smith and Alondes Williams would be potential fill-in options should the Heat look internally for backcourt depth.