Terry Rozier hasn’t spent much time with the Miami Heat yet following his trade to South Beach earlier this month, but the veteran guard said he immediately noticed a difference between his new team’s culture and that of his previous employer, the Charlotte Hornets.
Rozier, who spent the last four-plus seasons with the Hornets, told reporters Tuesday that there is a stark difference in the commitment to winning within the two franchises.
“It’s the total opposite,” said Rozier of the culture in Miami in contrast to Charlotte. “When you’re in Charlotte, you’re kind of used to losing. It’s kind of your DNA. … Over here, it’s the total opposite. No one wants to lose. No one is fine with it.”
"It's the total opposite. When you're in Charlotte, you're kind of used to losing... Over here, nobody is fine with [losing]..." - Terry Rozier ????
— Ball Don’t Lie (@Balldontlie) January 30, 2024
(via @ZachWeinberger)pic.twitter.com/IAoC1MvEFb
“It’s no secret. Everybody knows the difference between some organizations in the league,” he added.
Rozier’s comments come amid the Heat’s ongoing seven-game losing streak, their longest rut of the 2023-24 season and the franchise’s biggest drought since 2008. Miami has not won a game since Jan. 15, and it seems frustrations are starting to rise.
Across Rozier’s tenure with the Hornets, dating back to 2019-20 season, Charlotte has produced just one winning campaign. The Hornets sit at 10-35 this year, destined to pick in the lottery once again, and Rozier indicated that the team had grown accustomed to its losing habits.
LaMelo Ball & teammates laugh on the bench down 25 as his home arena chants “Let’s go Knicks” pic.twitter.com/wngWUT0JQv
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) January 30, 2024
The Hornets have just three wins in their past 25 games and suffered a sizable defeat against the New York Knicks on Monday night, during which coach Sean Clifford was ejected and players on the bench could be seen cracking jokes and laughing immediately afterward.
The Heat (24-23) will look to end their losing skid when they play host to the Sacramento Kings (27-18) on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET
