New York Knicks: Players Who Stepped Up Against Washington Wizards

Derrick Rose

Though the effort of virtually every other New York Knicks player can be questioned, Derrick Rose left it all on the court against the Washington Wizards. He played with a fire and a passion on both ends of the floor in what was his best game as a Knick.

If this is a sign of things to come from Rose, then Knicks fans can rest easy knowing that he’s still one of the most dynamic scorers in the NBA.

Rose went off for a season-high 27 points, four assists, two rebounds, and one steal in 39 energetic minutes. He shot 8-of-18 from the field and 8-of-8 from the free throw line, but the truly impressive showing was from beyond the arc.

Rose shot 3-of-5 from 3-point range for his first game with at least three 3-point field goals made since January 22, 2016—a stretch of more than 40 games played.

Rose’s improved jump shooting could be the key to the Knicks’ starting lineup finding its identity offensively. It’d give New York four reasonable threats from midrange and beyond the arc, with Joakim Noah embracing his role as a rim roller.

It’d normally be appropriate to criticize Rose for only having four assists, but he was the only Knicks player creating offense for a vast majority of this game.

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If anyone deserves blame for the New York Knicks’ lackluster showing, Derrick Rose is the last person on the list.