Did the NY Knicks already make their big splash with Derrick Rose?

NY Knicks: Derrick Rose has provided a scoring punch

When the Knicks traded for Rose, they were looking for someone to provide the team with more offensive firepower in the backcourt. They wanted someone with speed who could create instant offense for both himself and his teammates. So far, Rose has accomplished those goals.

Derrick Rose has had some pretty great shooting splits for the Knicks thus far. He’s shot just over 43% from the field, 45% from 3, and 87% from the free-throw line. The 3-point shooting will obviously come back down to earth, but you’ve got to be happy with the numbers so far.

I think many expected Rose to be the starting point guard when he first joined the team, but so far he’s been playing 24.6 minutes off of the bench. It’s worked out well. The combination of Rose and Immanuel Quickley gives the Knicks a ton of speed and scoring with their 2nd unit – It’s hard for opposing benches to keep up with them.

Rose’s impact on the court has shown up in a lot of different metrics, the most glaring one simply being his on/off stats with the team. When Derrick Rose is on the court, the team’s efficiency differential is +12.1. This is both a defensive and offensive stat. From Cleaning The Glass, efficiency differential is calculated from “Team points scored per 100 possessions minus team points allowed per 100 possessions.” Rose’s  +12.1 rating (Small sample) ranks 3rd among point guards in the NBA, behind only Stephen Curry and Trae Young, and right above Ben Simmons and Damian Lillard – The entire leaderboard is elite players.

You can see just how rejuvenated the NY Knicks’ offense looks when he’s on the court. Even though Rose has been thriving in his 6th-man-type role with the team, you have to wonder: Will his recent play will garner him even more playing time in the future?