NY Knicks: Examining How Derrick Rose’s Return Will Provide a Spark

NY Knicks: Derrick Rose can provide more transition offense

The Knicks have started 4 different players at point guard this season, but Rose is the only one who immediately looks to push the ball down the court and get easy transition buckets.

Payton prefers to slow things down, Immanuel Quickley prefers to look for opportunities from behind the arc and Frank Ntilikina is usually more aggressive on the defensive side of things.

The NY Knicks currently rank 30th in the NBA in pace, gradually bringing the ball up to operate in their halfcourt sets.

Rose gives them an initiator when running the occasional fast break, sprinting down the court and dishing off to a teammate or taking it up himself. Despite being leading scorers on the slowest team in the league, Julius Randle and RJ Barrett have also shown to be surprisingly solid fastbreak finishers.

Rose gives them another weapon running down the court and he could help them win shootouts that they previously might have suffered defeats in. The NY Knicks averaged 110.6 points per game when Rose suited up, much higher than their season average of 104.8 points per game.

Derrick Rose has been a welcome addition to a group that is looking to be the franchise’s first playoff team in eight years. Once he returns to action, the New York Knicks will look to start another win streak as they aspire to play more than 72 games.