Derrick Rose Must Eliminate His Willingness To Settle For Perimeter Shots
The Chicago Bulls have certainly been able to win games over the years, and have had their fair share of stars leading the way. This year’s Bulls, however, may be the most complete Chicago team since Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen played basketball in the United Center.
With depth at almost every position, the Bulls are strongly considered a favorite to come out of the Eastern Conference and contend in the NBA Finals.
All is great when defense and depth are two key strengths of a team. However, there is just one ingredient that is missing in order for the Bulls to be unquestioned favorites.
That ingredient is a full-strength Derrick Rose.
Rose hasn’t exactly been himself since he went down with an injury back in the 2011-12 season during the playoffs. Rose has not played in any meaningful games the past two seasons, certainly making it difficult for him to come back and play the game at such a high level, especially for a team with championship aspirations.
All of his injuries haven’t completely stopped Rose from competing, though, as he has returned to the floor this season and has played in 12 of the team’s 21 contests so far.
While some may look at that number and say that he should have played more, considering the fact that some of those games he didn’t play for more than 25 minutes, but there needs to be some understanding that it was going to take Rose some time to get fully accustomed to the NBA schedule.
Being away from the league for basically two years and then having to come back with so much pressure to win game after game is a daunting task to ask of anyone, let alone Rose. What should be viewed as promising is that Rose has played in the Bulls’ last eight games, logging 25 or more minutes in five of those contests.
It appears that Rose is getting used to coming out and playing every night, but his true test will be getting back to the player he once was, or at least a close enough resemblance.
In his MVP season back in 2010-11, Rose averaged 25 points per game on 44.5 percent shooting and 7.7 assists per game. Rose excelled at knowing when to be the primary scorer and when to spread the ball around and generate offense for his teammates.
This season, Rose is averaging 16.2 points per game on 41.4 percent shooting and 5.1 assists per game. Rose hasn’t had the same impact on the court that he once did, but he may not necessarily have to be the exact same player that he was in his early years.
The Bulls are loaded with talent. This team just needs a leader at the point guard spot to keep things under control while still being potent enough to get baskets down the stretch in late-game situations. Rose is still good enough to be that player, just maybe not for a full 48 minutes.
More from Hoops Habit
- The 5 most dominant NBA players who never won a championship
- 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
- Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
- Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
- Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout
One thing that Rose has tried to improve upon during his time off the court is his jump shot. While his shooting stroke is cleaner than it ever was, his release higher and noticeably quicker, his shot is not quite at the level where he can be a truly respected perimeter threat.
Rose’s game has always been to get inside the lane and cause havoc, and while the Bulls may not want Rose to make a dangerous living in the paint anymore because of his injury history, his previous struggles cannot force Rose to change who he is both as a scorer and as a play maker.
When Rose settles for perimeter shots, he not only creates empty offensive possessions for his team, but he also gives up on where his game is the most efficient. For his career, Rose has shot 31.2 percent from the three-point line, and it’s no coincidence that his percentage so far this season is exactly the same.
Rose cannot look to make a living as a spot-up shooter; he needs to be more aggressive and get to the spots on the floor where he is most effective.
What happens when Rose drives is that he collapses the defense. When Rose beats his man off the dribble, the help defense is forced to shift over in order to attempt to seal the lane off and keep Rose away from scoring at the rim.
Over the course of a few seasons, Rose went from being a good passer to a great one in those driving situations as he got more comfortable looking for his teammates on the perimeter and kicking the ball out for open shots.
Playing the kick out game is one of the most common things a point guard does for his team night in and night out, but when you can master it like Rose has, and you have the quickness and instincts to complement those skills, you generally are regarded as one of the top point guards in the NBA, something Rose was for a number of years before his injuries.
If Rose settles for a jump shot when he could instead try and will himself inside, he takes away any of those opportunities for easy scores and instead puts another zero in the makes column.
Now that the Bulls have a number of quality mid-range and three-point shooters including the likes of Pau Gasol, Mike Dunleavy, Jimmy Butler, Doug McDermott and Nikola Mirotic, Rose can make a greater impact as a passer than he potentially has throughout his entire career.
Rose may have already got the message, however, as he got back to being aggressive Wednesday night against the Brooklyn Nets, really showing off his athleticism and play making abilities in leading his team to the victory.
In this highlight clip below from the game courtesy of YouTube’s Dawk ins, Rose got to the rim, drew fouls and made plays for his teammates without going overboard and forcing things on one too many occasions. This kind of controlled force is exactly what the Bulls need in order to win games and remain a contender.
If Rose can continue to be this kind of player for Chicago, then the sky is the limit for this team.
Keep attacking, Rose, it is simply who you are.
*Statistics Courtesy of Basketball-Reference.