There was no surprise awaiting Terry Rozier when he reported to Celtics training camp last Sept. 25.

After being the starting point guard during a surprising run to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals the previous spring, Rozier knew that he’d be back in his usual role as backup with the return of Kyrie Irving.

It wasn’t going to be easy, for sure, after Rozier averaged 16.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 19 playoff games while Irving was out [...]

There was no surprise awaiting Terry Rozier when he reported to Celtics training camp last Sept. 25.

After being the starting point guard during a surprising run to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals the previous spring, Rozier knew that he’d be back in his usual role as backup with the return of Kyrie Irving.

It wasn’t going to be easy, for sure, after Rozier averaged 16.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 19 playoff games while Irving was out after two knee procedures.

During an appearance at his own basketball camp at the Starland Sportsplex in Hanover, Mass., last August, Rozier was on board with what was ahead.

“It’s going to be a little different this year, but I’m not worried about it,’’ Rozier said back then. “I’m trying to control what I can control. If you want to win a championship, it’s going to take sacrifice.

“We’ve all got one goal and that’s to win. That’s everybody’s mindset. It’s going to be a lot of fun.’’

So what happened?

The 2018-19 Celtics’ season was anything but fun with the team finishing fourth in the Eastern Conference, then losing to the Milwaukee Bucks in five games in the second round.

Instead of being a lot of fun, the Celtics had plenty of unhappiness and Rozier was front and center in that group.

The transition back to the bench after starting 13 regular-season games following Irving’s injury on March 11, 2018 and then making the 19 postseason starts was not easy for Rozier.

That Rozier was not a happy camper was obvious throughout the season, and what happened last week put an exclamation point on that.

Rozier sat for one in-studio interview after another on ESPN Tuesday where he let that unhappiness spill out.

Welcome to the sports world in 2019 where a fourth-year backup guard who didn’t average in double figures this season and finished eighth on his team in scoring gets to make the rounds on national television to air complaints.

While the Celtics can match any offer that restricted free-agent Rozier receives in July, it doesn’t look like the two will be on the same page.

Rozier, who just finished a four-year, $8-million contract, is looking to strike it rich and for some team in need of a starting point guard who will give him an eight-figure deal this summer.

Asked by one ESPN host that if the Celtics were to return the same team for the 2019-20 season would Rozier be back, he said, “No, I might have to go. I might have to go. I put up with a lot this year.’’

The Celtics might need a starting point guard if Irving decided to go elsewhere as a free agent, but Rozier might not be their plan B at this point.

Rozier had a nice run through the postseason last spring, but he had to know minutes were going to be reduced with the return of Irving and Gordon Hayward from injuries.

After playing 25.9 minutes and averaging 11.3 points last season, Rozier was on the floor 22.7 minutes and scored nine points. He shot 39.5 percent from the field in 2017-18 and dropped to 38.7 percent this season, hitting only 35 percent from 3-point territory.

In the playoffs, Rozier scored just 6.4 points on 32 percent shooting, making 24 percent of his 3-pointers.

No, it was not an ideal situation for Rozier after all he accomplished at the end of last season, but, again, the distribution of minutes had to be expected.

“I sacrificed obviously my talent the most,’’ said Rozier on ESPN. “I think me being out there and giving my full style of play, how Terry Rozier plays, I feel like I couldn’t be that person this year.

“Obviously in the shadow of some guys, the ball was in either Kyrie’s or Gordon Hayward’s hands most of the time. I feel like Terry Rozier was just in the corner or on the bench.’’

Rozier inferred that Irving and Hayward were treated on a different “level where there were no adjustments that could be made because they are who they are. We never figured it out.

“We’d have the first five and then we had the second five and then we’d go out there and I feel like a lot of guys were mixed up. It wouldn’t be the first five and the second five. What we talked about in practice is not what we went through in the game. It was like we’re going to keep Kyrie out there and put the other guys with him and going to figure it out.’’

The Celtics didn’t figure out a lot of things in this disappointing season, and Terry Rozier was unable to make the transition back to his previous role as an effective second-unit guard.