BOSTON — One working theory about the Boston Celtics’ early struggles boiled down to this: They have too many guys. On one hand, it seems ridiculous that a team could ever be overburdened with talent, and on another there is only one basketball and so many minutes.

Over a six-week period during which he had to reacclimatize to backing up Kyrie Irving after playing a starring role in Boston’s Eastern Conference finals run, Terry Rozier both proved and disproved this theory. In the process, the Celtics found themselves Finals contenders again.

The Ringer’s Bill Simmons reported on Nov. 7 that Rozier “has been unhappy with his playing time all season, word has gotten around the league, and everyone now knows the Celtics need to trade him.” The Athletic’s Shams Charania followed that same morning by reporting “at least seven teams have been monitoring Rozier’s status,” including the Phoenix Suns, who “have aggressively pursued” him.

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge saw the coverage snowballing.

“The way that so much stuff gets reported and written now, it could be nothing or it could be Terry saying something to somebody at some point like, ‘Damn, I’m just frustrated,’ and that leads to him being really frustrated,” Ainge told Yahoo Sports over the phone on Tuesday. “Heck, we’re all frustrated half the time. I played 18 years of professional sports, and half the games I didn’t play as well as I wanted. When I played well, I usually wasn’t as frustrated, regardless of what role I was playing.”

Two weeks after those reports, Rozier’s season bottomed out with a scoreless effort over 16 minutes off the bench in Boston’s embarrassing home loss to the New York Knicks. He was shooting 36 percent on the season, and his Celtics — once consensus favorites to emerge from the East after reaching Game 7 of the conference finals under his surprising stewardship last season — were a disappointing 9-9. Conventional thought around the NBA was that the 24-year-old soon-to-be restricted free agent would request a trade in the following days. He may well have, if not for a come-to-Jesus realization.

“I was going through some stuff at the start of the season,” Rozier told Yahoo Sports after his second start of the season, a 113-100 win over the New Orleans Pelicans sans Kyrie Irving (shoulder), Gordon Hayward (illness) and Al Horford (knee) that served as a reminder of Boston’s depth and playoff resiliency. “But something changed two or three weeks ago, and I’m feeling good about where I’m at.”

What changed? “My attitude,” Rozier said.

Finding a way through the frustration

A single conversation with management didn’t lead Rozier to re-embrace his role behind a five-time All-Star, replacing what was (16.5 points, 5.7 assists and 5.3 rebounds over 36.6 minutes per game in 19 playoff starts last season) and what could be (a permanent starting role and the contract that comes with it) with what is (a rotational role on a contender). It was a process, and while they “talk a lot,” Ainge said the credit for Rozier’s “paradigm shift” and “transformation” lies with him and the support system he’s cultivated, including friends, agent Aaron Turner and former Louisville coach Rick Pitino.

“Some of the things that Terry has gone through early have been predictable and understandable and even expected,” Ainge told Yahoo Sports. “He is still very humble and wanting to do the right thing, but he has big dreams and big goals. That’s why he’s special. He’s a great, great kid, and he’s been around good people. He learned the team concept under coach Pitino, so when coach [Brad] Stevens talks about sacrifice, he understands. It’s not a foreign language to him. He gets all that. He’s a team guy, and he’s a winner. Those are the characteristics I’ve always liked about him.

“I’m giving Terry all the credit for having a paradigm shift, and he’s playing better. It’s a good message for all the players. You don’t always get what you want, but the choices you make are important. You can either pout and feel miserable or you can have a positive attitude and make a positive impact.

“Terry has good people around him, but there are a lot of guys who have that and don’t listen. This is Terry’s transformation, and sometimes it takes a little bit. He worked so hard all summer, he’s coming off a great playoff run, everybody knows how good he is, and then his role is adjusted. He played a lot of minutes [on Monday night], and he’ll have those opportunities throughout the year. It’s different than how he finished last year, but it’s still a really good role, and he’s figured that out on his own.”

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