New York Knicks: How Much Is Derrick Rose Worth?

The Ideal Role

The New York Knicks have a number of questions to answer during the 2017 offseason. The primary question, however, pertains to whether the Knicks should address the void at point guard through free agency or the 2017 NBA Draft.

What the Knicks do in the draft will likely determine if Rose will be considered for a starting role, but he has the tools to be the best sixth man in the NBA.

Rose’s first inclination is to score, which he still does at an undeniably high level. His 3-point shot is nothing short of faulty at 21.7 percent, but he finished 2016-17 with averages of 18.0 points per game on 47.1 percent shooting from the field and 87.4 percent from the charity stripe.

Perhaps most importantly, Rose ranked No. 4 in the NBA in points via drives per game and made 125 midrange jump shots on 44.0 percent shooting.

For as explosive a scoring threat as Rose remains, he struggles in two crucial areas: defense and facilitating. He averaged a career-worst 4.9 assists per 36 minutes, had an assist-to-turnover ratio of just 1.93, and ranked No. 448 in Defensive Real Plus-Minus.

As a high-level scoring threat who can create for himself, but struggles to do so for others, Rose’s current game befits the role of a sixth man.