New York Knicks: How Derrick Rose has become the Sixth Man of the Year

Derrick Rose has unlocked his old self for the New York Knicks

I’m not sure there has ever been a basketball player whose injury history has been more talked about than Derrick Rose. A prodigal player who was a legend the second he stepped on the court, we all know about the rise and fall of the Bulls’ former franchise player. I think Derrick Rose got sick of talking about his fall.

Upon leaving Chicago, what chance has he had? He had his first stint with a bad Knicks team that ended in a torn meniscus. He then joined the Cavaliers where injuries continued to plague him. It’s hard to fathom how difficult those years must’ve been both physically and mentally.

Then, Rose finally stays healthy and plays over 50 games in both 2018-19 and 2019-20. What teams did he play on? The bottom-dwelling Minnesota Timberwolves and the Detroit Pistons. Maybe post-Chicago Bulls Derrick Rose has been this level of player the entire time and just hasn’t gotten a fair chance.

Rose has discussed how extensively he’s had to change the way he takes care of his body. It even shows up in the games – he can easily dunk but chooses not to.

From Cleaning The Glass, of players who have played as many minutes as Rose has for the Knicks, only 5 in the NBA have a higher efficiency differential for their team when they’re on the court vs. when they’re off: Draymond Green, Joel Embiid, Rudy Gobert, Stephen Curry, and LeBron James. Rose has the highest average +/- of anyone on the New York Knicks (From Synergy Stats).

What a journey its’ been and what an amazing spot to be in for Derrick Rose. He’s playing around 30 minutes per game as one of the leaders of a top-10 (maybe even higher) team in the NBA.

The New York Knicks and Derrick Rose have been a match made in heaven. It may be late in the season, but it feels like they’re just getting started.