It’s starting to become a pattern with the New York Knicks and Derrick Rose. The team establishes a physical tone early on. There are stretches of play where New York dominates and periods where their opponent fights back. Then, the 4th quarter comes around and Derrick Rose delivers the knockout punches.
The impact of Derrick Rose was felt from the moment he landed in New York. The first reports we received were how he immediately took rookies Obi Toppin and Immanuel Quickley out to dinner and assert himself as a resource for the younger players. Much like the silent assassin on the court, he became a quiet leader off the court.
New York Knicks: Derrick Rose has transformed the team
The Knicks knew they needed more scoring when they went out and traded for Rose. Tom Thibodeau’s team had already asserted themselves as a strong defensive team but the lack of offense was their Achilles heel.
Before Derrick Rose’s arrival, the Knicks ranked: 22nd in 3-point percentage, 30th in points per game, and 24th in offensive rating. Since Rose’s first game, they’ve ranked: 2nd in 3-point percentage, 21st in points per game, and 13th in offensive rating. There are only a HANDFUL of players in NBA history who were traded midseason who have coincided with that kind of team transformation.
How did this happen? How did this team find such a perfect fit? Let’s start with the reasons why Derrick Rose’s game has been such a key part of New York’s success.
New York Knicks: Derrick Rose is the experienced scorer the team didn’t have
Mike Breen said it on the MSG broadcast last night in the game against the Grizzlies, how Rose has seen just about every possible kind of defense imaginable: Double, triple teams, traps, whatever is thrown at him, he’s never frazzled. He’s as composed as any ball-handler in the NBA.
Young ball-handlers like Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett have had fantastic seasons but they’re still so early in their careers. They don’t have the experience that Rose does.
The reason why Derrick Rose is so dangerous is not his experience alone. It’s the composure paired with his elite change of speeds.
How many 32-year-old guards are moving the way Rose is? His burst is still elite. His drives to the rim are smooth and calculated. Every night, he shakes a defender out of their shoes. The Knicks did not have someone with this kind of blow-by ability prior to his arrival.
The Knicks’ slower offense has suited Rose perfectly. Yes, he can still do damage in transition, but Rose has been unguardable as the team’s halfcourt general. It’s either Julius Randle in the post or Derrick Rose slicing through a pick & roll – both plays are drawing double teams and both plays are leading to open looks at the basket.
Speed was completely absent from the Knicks before Rose got here. Although this team prefers a slower-paced half-court game, they can now keep up with opponents who want to push the pace. We saw it last night with the Grizzlies, who relentlessly tried to speed up the game. It didn’t bother Tom Thibodeau’s team.
Derrick Rose’s game has completely transformed this team from an upstart squad to a top-10 team in the NBA. The number of statistics available to back up Rose’s Sixth Man of the Year case is bottomless.
New York Knicks: Derrick Rose has single-handedly won them games
To say a player has “Single-handedly” won games for a team may sound like hyperbole but anyone who has watched Knicks games knows – Derrick Rose has put the team on his back more than once.
This job is typically for the team’s star player, Julius Randle. Randle has delivered and easily been the team’s best player – but he’s still human. Last night was a perfect example: Julius Randle had a rare off-shooting night and struggled with his shot against Memphis. It was Rose who decided to take over.
In the last month, Tom Thibodeau has begun to realize just how important it was for him to play Derrick Rose in the 4th quarter. The coach frequently labeled as “stubborn” has made the key adjustment and it’s been vital to the team’s success.
Rose has been at the center of New York’s dominant play over the past month. During the team’s last 13 games where they’ve gone 12-1, he’s averaged 17.4 points per game on 54.7% shooting. In this same stretch of games, Rose has shot 66.7% from the field in “clutch situations” (5 minutes or less, game differential less than 5 points.)
Guys like Barrett, Burks, Quickley, Payton have all had clutch moments, but no one has been able to do it at the level of consistency that Rose does. He shows up in crunch time.
You take Derrick Rose off of this team and I have no idea where they would be.
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.