Postgame Interview: Haywood Highsmith, Terry Rozier III

Postgame Interview: Haywood Highsmith, Terry Rozier III

Team yeah I mean he’s having the MVP season so we had to really lock in on him um you know he’s very crafty a very good player try draws a lot of fouls you know gets a lot of attention as get footwork and stuff like that um so we

Really wanted to lock in on him and just be in the gas being in strengths make it tough for him we threw a lot of different guys at him Jimmy Caleb me some bam as well on the switches so you know it definitely was a point point of

Emphasis for us um just the lock in on him and uh you know I think we did a good job in that one how tough is that to do without fouling where you want to be aggressive but you don’t want to obviously foul very tough um um you know

You can see I picked up my second one was kind of you know was kind of a tough play you know but um you know that’s he’s a good player he’s going to make it tough for you um you know he has shot fak like I said the foot work the um

Yearr Step through putting the ball out you know you got to be disciplined for sure the game’s tight late they make that run and everybody’s waiting for somebody okay who’s going to hit the big shot you took that shot it seemed like with no hesitation what was going

Through your mind when you get the ball and you put that three up yeah I mean when I got the ball I saw the rim and um you know I’ve been shooting well lately and I got confidence in myself right now so I just let it fly we needed a bucket

At the time and um you know I’m glad I can come up for my team at that moment what you make of Terry R’s performance today unbelievable making a lot of tough shots you know getting our offense going a good flow just being aggressive being

Himself that’s what he need him to be um aggressive and just you know pushing the pace and uh you know just creating good looks for for himself tonight you closed some players say they prefer to close games than start games are you one of those players yeah I mean closing the

Game it just you know shows it you know SP has trust in me to you know get the job done and bring it home um okay love I cannot take them serious um but yeah closing the games I mean yeah I definitely rather close the game

Just you know because it just means they have confidence in me and they believe in me to you know be on the court at the right time and pival moment of the game and and what do you you have been shooting the ball really well what kind

Of clicked their few over the last three or four weeks just letting it fly I don’t even don’t even worry about anything else just letting it fly when I’m open shooting the ball when I’m open you know my teammates believe in me they know I’m a good shooter so they just

They always told me to shoot the ball whe it’s going in or it’s not I got to shoot the ball when I’m moving got the intensity of this game I mean from the beginning especially defensively but just even to the end do you think since

This is just the way it’s going to be down the stretch he final seven into the playoffs yeah this felt like a playoff game I think a lot of these games are going to feel like this you know especially the game Thursday against Philly going to be the same type of

Atmosphere um you know the crowd was amazing obviously you know Nick got their fans got our fans and they was going back and forth so it’s physical game you know a lot of lot of great uh you know playoff type you know defense and offense stuff like that so I felt

Like a playoff game and yeah a lot of these games going forward definitely going to feel like this for sure I used to be super demonstrative so where I felt like we just every it was just like um we needed you know a bucket so just want everybody just calm down

You know we got this BR okay we’ve been here before you know so had to settle us down had to settle us down like K LOVE said Terry one thing even SPO just said right now is in Heat Nicks it’s very hard to score against the Knicks the way they

Pack the paint the way they play Such aggressive defense didn’t seem that hard for you tonight was it just a matter of finding a range on threes was it teammates helping you get to those open spots why was it in such a competitive defensive game you were able to do what

You did uh just one of those nights uh we know that Nicks is a great great defensive team but you know in this league you got a lot of guys who can score the rock on a high level and then sometimes you can’t stop him once it

Once it gets going and you know I feel like I can score the ball pretty well and it was just one of those nights but you know credit goes to my teammates and coaches for allowing me to be me I think after tonight you guys have

Moved into the top five in in defensive rating um just the growth you guys have made in the end of the qut the past few months and how much of that has to be kind of at the center uh just our DNA DNA and you know we trying to emphasize

No matter if the ball going in or not we got to we got to get stops on the other end and you know when you get stops it it create easy easier points on offense you you get out and run and stuff like that so we understand that we just got

To you know take care of our defense and making sure we you know making it tough on our opponents you have 19 threes in the last three games and even though you had a couple leaners tonight A lot of them has been catch and shoot um I’m

Just wondering do you feel like that’s something within the the offense that’s uh been wanted and just how comfortable do you feel in those spots yeah I mean y don’t understand how how much B been on me about you know catch and shoot since I’ve been here and you know it just you

Know take a little time to get adjusted coming from Charlotte you know I always got the ball in my hands and a lot of my threats come off the dribble and that’s just kind of you know how I play so I had to get back to you know my workouts

Catching and shooting and stuff like that so it just a matter of time but you know I’m just you know happy to be knocking down my shots Terry you had a season high with the heat 34 points what was a camer camaraderie like with your players and like what were they telling

You and that you had more confidence in today uh you know my my teammates are you know uh super supportive always and that’s why I always give them the credit you know uh my my coaches and my teammates you know just allowing me to be me and and making sure I understand

That you know I can go out there and be myself and and and uh things will work out so uh you know just trying to read the game and and and see you know how our offense can you know get easier to score and stuff like that while I’m still being

Aggressive D you kind of got that start and stop hesitation dribble especially on picking rolls and drives and stuff I’m just curious like where you picked that up and when that kind of became part of your game my whole life my whole life like even when I was in Middle

School my coach used to always tell me stop stop you know hky jerky but I just couldn’t stop and that’s just kind of my game it’s just just to come with it Terry you’ve probably been asked 100 times already but uh tonight you were wearing the hit culture Jersey how would

You define this culture uh you know it’s different man you got the championship DNA over here and uh you know we really proud ourself of of of of that name that culture name and and how we want to play and you know we trying to make it tough on our

Opponents and and like you said we we top five in defense that that that shows who how our culture is and and how we trying to build it so you know we just we understand that and we just trying to continue to to to to to build that

Foundation for us so you talked about the flow you’re in but Haywood’s kind of in a similar flow this this last bit just what have you seen from him on on both sides of the ball the impact he’s having just you know just super confident uh being himself and you know

You know H is super great great shooter great defensive a great defensive guy you know we we get a lot of shots up after a shooting round and we always you know we always talk that we got to we got to make some shots for our guys uh

For bam and and Jimmy so you know it’s just a matter of time and you know we we glad to both be hitting shots appreciate y

Apr. 2, 2024 – Haywood Highsmith and Terry Rozier III speak to the media following Tuesday night’s game vs. the New York Knicks.

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