Hornets' Terry Rozier Ruled out vs. Timberwolves with Knee Injury

The Charlotte Hornets will be without guard Terry Rozier (left knee soreness) against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Target Center on Wednesday night, the team announced.

Head coach James Borrego relayed that undrafted forward Caleb Martin will make his first career start in Rozier's absence with Malik Monk "likely" as the backup point guard, per The Athletic's Rod Boone. 

The Hornets will also be without rookie second-round forward Cody Martin (concussion protocol).

Rozier averaged 9.0 points and 2.9 assists while shooting 35.3 percent from three-point range with the Boston Celtics in 2018-19.

The Hornets turned heads in the offseason when they signed Rozier to a three-year, $56.7 million contract. He replaced Kemba Walker, who left Charlotte after eight seasons to join the Celtics.

Whereas many expected the Hornets to embrace a full-scale rebuild following Walker's departure, they instead spent relatively big on a point guard who had only 30 starts through his first four years.

Rozier is averaging 17.8 points and 4.1 assists through 53 games with the Hornets.

His presence is unlikely to keep the 17-36 Hornets out of the lottery, though. Charlotte missed the playoffs by two games in 2019 with what was arguably a better squad than it has now. Not only did Walker leave, but Jeremy Lamb also signed with the Indiana Pacers, creating a massive void in the backcourt.