Rozier hard on himself amid slump: ‘I can’t hit a jump shot.’ Also, positive injury news for Heat

When asked to assess his own offensive game since being traded to the Miami Heat, guard Terry Rozier didn’t mince words.

“I can’t hit a jump shot,” Rozier said following Sunday night’s 103-95 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers at Kaseya Center.

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Rozier, 29, has made a few jump shots since being dealt to the Heat on Jan. 23, but not many of them. He has shot 16 of 63 (25.4 percent) on jumpers in his first seven games with Miami after shooting 41.8 percent on jumpers in 30 games with the Charlotte Hornets prior to the trade.

“I don’t try to get too much into myself. I’m a team player,” Rozier continued, with the Heat set to host the Orlando Magic on Tuesday (7:30 p.m., Bally Sports Sun). “You look at the end, you worry about wins and losses. I’m not happy that we got the L today. But like I said, I’m my toughest critic. I just got to keep on putting the work in and it’s going to fall for me.”

Through Rozier’s first seven games with the Heat, he has averaged 11.7 points per game while shooting 32.9 percent from the field and 7 of 32 (21.9 percent) from three-point range.

Before the trade to Miami, Rozier averaged 23.2 points per game while shooting 45.9 percent from the field and 35.8 percent from three-point range in a high-usage role with the Hornets this season.

“Part of it is you just got to keep shooting it,” said Rozier, who has started for the Heat in the last six games after playing off the bench for Miami in his first game following the trade. “Shoot yourself out the slump.”

Until more shots start going in for Rozier, he’s trying to find other ways to make an impact. He’s dished out a team-high 38 assists during his first seven games with the Heat while only committing nine turnovers.

But the results have still not been positive, as the Heat has been outscored by 14 points per 100 possessions when Rozier has been on the court since the trade. Part of that is due to the Heat’s recent team-wide struggles and some of it is Rozier adjusting to a new role.

“Being traded mid-season, coming to a contending team is never easy,” Heat guard Josh Richardson said when asked about Rozier’s transition to the Heat from a Hornets team at the bottom of the standings. “There’s a lot of pressure on a lot of things that you do. But I think T-Ro has been good so far. I think that he’s been aggressive, but he’s been trying to play in the offense and been trying to get guys involved and play with pace and he’s been defending.”

The bottom line, though, is one of the primary reasons the Heat traded Kyle Lowry and a lottery-protected first-round pick to acquire Rozier is for his scoring ability. The Heat’s offense is among the NBA’s lowest-scoring teams this season and Rozier’s scoring punch is needed.

“We want him to be aggressive, we want him to be him,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “Everybody is saying the same thing. He’s very respectful of everybody in the locker room. But we’re better with his aggressiveness, for sure.”

DEFENSIVE GAINS

While the Heat’s offense continues to struggle, the defense has taken a step forward recently.

During the last three games, the Heat has posted a defensive rating of 106.5 points allowed per 100 possessions while toggling more frequently between its man-to-man and zone schemes. That’s the NBA’s third-best defensive rating during this small three-game sample size.

Even in Sunday’s loss, the Heat managed to hold the Clippers to their ninth-worst single-game offensive rating of the season.

“A lot better,” Heat center Bam Adebayo said of the team’s recent defensive play. “Just because we figured out how to get on the same page on defense. Talking a little extra, communicating a little extra, actually communicating in the huddles of what we see, and using the iPad more to our advantage.”

For the season, the Heat holds the NBA’s 13th-ranked defensive rating. Miami has finished with a top-10 defensive rating in seven of the last eight seasons.

“That’s our identity,” Spoelstra said Sunday of the Heat’s defense, “and that’s how we’re going to try to win games right now while we’re getting everybody in a rhythm and figuring out what the best plan is offensively.”

INJURY REPORT

The Heat has upgraded Duncan Robinson to questionable for Tuesday’s matchup against the Magic after he missed the past three games while in the NBA’s concussion protocol.

Heat guard Tyler Herro is listed as probable for the contest after missing Sunday’s loss to the Clippers because of a migraine.

The Heat’s hope is that both Herro and Robinson will make their returns against the Magic.

The only two Heat players ruled out for Tuesday’s game are RJ Hampton (G League) and Dru Smith (season-ending knee surgery).

The Magic is expected to have its entire regular rotation available against the Heat.