It has been a tough season for Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier. From a significant dip in shooting efficiency to losing his spot in the starting lineup to being in the middle of an ongoing federal investigation as part of an illegal sports betting probe, Rozier has faced adversity on and off the court this season. “This year hasn’t been the season I wanted,” Rozier said. “But I’m a strong believer that things will turn around and I know it will.”

The last few weeks have been encouraging on the court for Rozier, who has scored double-digit points in the last four games. He has averaged 17 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game while shooting an efficient 51 percent from the field and 9 of 22 (40.9 percent) from three-point range during that four-game span.

That’s a big improvement from his underwhelming season-long scoring and shooting efficiency numbers, as Rozier is averaging 12.3 points per game on 41.3 percent shooting from the field and 30 percent shooting from behind the arc in his 10th NBA season. That would be the fewest points he has averaged and the worst field-goal percentage he has recorded in a season since his fourth NBA season in 2018-19, with Rozier’s three-point percentage currently his worst for a season since his rookie year in 2015-16. “The season hasn’t been going as well as I wanted it to,” Rozier again emphasized, with the Heat set to play the second game of its four-game trip on Tuesday against the Bulls at United Center (8 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Sun). “But you can just appreciate everything, all the struggles.

Because I know when things go great, you can just appreciate that way more. I know things are going to turn around for me.” Rozier’s usage rate (an estimate of the percentage of team plays used by a player while on the court) is also down to 19.9 percent this season, which would be his lowest usage rate for a season since his fourth NBA season in 2018-19. This diminished usage rate is representative of the adjustment process that Rozier has endured since being traded to the Heat midway through last season.

After playing as a high-usage guard who put up 18 field-goal attempts per game with the Charlotte Hornets last season prior to being traded to Miami, Rozier has been used in more of an off-ball role with the Heat as part of a roster led by Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and Jimmy Butler (before he asked for a trade earlier this season). “It’s nobody’s fault. It’s just the team that we got and our dynamic as a team,” Rozier, 30, said. “But a lot of times, I’m running up and down the court and it’s more spot-up and being off the ball. I’m not saying it’s not my strength, but it’s not something that I’m fully used to.

So it’s just trying to adjust to that fully and trying to find ways I can be most effective to help this team.” While Rozier has become more of a pull-up and step-back shooter in recent years, part of the adjustment to his Heat role has been getting comfortable with more catch-and-shoot opportunities. Instead of catching a pass and taking one or two dribbles before putting up a jumper, the Heat wants Rozier to shoot it on the catch before the defense can contest the shot. That transition remains a work in progress, but Rozier insists he’s getting more comfortable in spot-up shooting situations. “Just having it in my mind just to let it go when I catch it,” Rozier said. “I think I got to that last season after a while. It took a little minute, I was kind of fighting it. But once it happens, I think it will help me take off. So it’s a matter of making it happen.” For the season, Rozier is shooting 33.1 percent on catch-and-shoot threes. I

n total, 25.1 percent of Rozier’s field-goal attempts this season have been of the catch-and-shoot variety, while pull-up shots have accounted for 36.2 percent of his attempts. But during this productive four-game stretch, Rozier has shot 6 of 14 (42.9 percent) on catch-and-shoot threes in this small sample size. His volume on those shots are up, too, as 28.6 percent of Rozier’s field-goal attempts have been catch-and-shoot looks compared to 22.4 percent for pull-ups during the last four games. “We like it when Terry is assertive,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “You feel his speed, he’s a great open catch-and-shoot three-point shooter. Now, the numbers show it. If he’s open and it’s on the catch, it’s a great look for him. That just gives us another piece of ignitability off the bench.” During Saturday’s win over the San Antonio Spurs, Rozier’s improvement in spot-up situations was on display.

He shot 5 of 9 on catch-and-shoot threes in the victory. “Catch-and-shoot Terry, man,” Heat center Bam Adebayo said. “We had to break him out of that habit of wanting to dribble before he shoots it. Now he’s catching and shooting and making shots and you all don’t notice it, but he’s really defending on the other end.

For us, man, we want him to keep being that way and take what’s going to come.” Rozier said he has made “little adjustments” to his shot this season in hopes of breaking out of his season-long shooting slump. “I definitely have looked at a lot of film, seeing if I’m letting it go early, arc, all that,” he said. “So I’ve been beating myself up about that a lot. That’s why I feel good. I know it’s going to turn for me.” Rozier began this season as a Heat starter, but he has since settled into a bench role after his rough start. He has grown to appreciate his reserve role after starting in his first 12 appearances of the season. “I kind of like being on the bench right now,” said Rozier, who has one season remaining on his contract before he can become a free agent in 2026. “Because I can just see what’s going in the game, seeing how the other team is guarding and then we got our starters who we know what they can do, what they should do.

So I want to be guy off the bench that’s coming in and giving that boost. I’m not saying it’s final, but I like it right now, for sure.” Through it all, Rozier has worked to remain positive despite a season that has tested him in more ways than one. “That’s just how I think,” Rozier said. “I wake up just feeling that things can be better, things will get better. That’s just how I really feel. Knowing that it only takes two or three games, and things can turn that fast. I know I’m one of them type of guys who can do that. So it’s just a matter of time. It’s been a long time I’ve been waiting for it, but I know it’s going to happen for me.”