The Chicago Bulls didn’t exactly get off to the best start this season, but they have certainly found their stride, currently sitting at 26-13.
Yes, there have been a number of positives that have already come out of this season, including Pau Gasol‘s resurgence as a dominant big man and Jimmy Butler‘s emergence as a star player and a potential No. 1 option on offense, but neither of these players, or anyone else on the team for that matter, captured all of the biggest Bulls headlines heading into the season.
This year was always going to be about how Derrick Rose would respond from missing virtually two years of NBA basketball, and if he could come back as the dominant most valuable player that he once was.
At this point, Rose hasn’t quite had the impact that he most likely wanted to have on the court for Chicago. Averaging 17.0 points per game to go along with 4.9 assists per game isn’t the worst that could happen for a point guard that has missed a lot of playing time, but those basic numbers are the least of his concerns.
Rose will always be able to put up points and make plays on the court because of his determination and strong will as a competitor, but his efficiency and execution has been the root of all of his troubles this season.
| Season | G | GS | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | FT | FTA | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-09 | 81 | 80 | 37.0 | 7.1 | 14.9 | .475 | 0.2 | 0.9 | .222 | 2.4 | 3.1 | .788 | 3.9 | 6.3 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 2.5 | 16.8 |
| 2009-10 ★ | 78 | 78 | 36.8 | 8.6 | 17.6 | .489 | 0.2 | 0.8 | .267 | 3.3 | 4.3 | .766 | 3.8 | 6.0 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 2.8 | 20.8 |
| 2010-11 ★ | 81 | 81 | 37.4 | 8.8 | 19.7 | .445 | 1.6 | 4.8 | .332 | 5.9 | 6.9 | .858 | 4.1 | 7.7 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 3.4 | 25.0 |
| 2011-12 ★ | 39 | 39 | 35.3 | 7.7 | 17.8 | .435 | 1.4 | 4.4 | .312 | 5.0 | 6.1 | .812 | 3.4 | 7.9 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 3.1 | 21.8 |
| 2014-15 | 28 | 28 | 28.9 | 6.3 | 15.7 | .402 | 1.3 | 5.1 | .254 | 3.0 | 3.8 | .802 | 3.0 | 4.9 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 3.3 | 17.0 |
| Career | 317 | 316 | 35.9 | 7.9 | 17.3 | .455 | 0.8 | 2.8 | .303 | 3.9 | 4.8 | .814 | 3.7 | 6.6 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 3.0 | 20.5 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 1/13/2015.
Rose is averaging some of the worst numbers of his career in the shooting and assist-to-turnover departments. Measures of efficiency such as these are very important in determining just how effective a player has been during his time on the court, and the early return is that overall, Rose has been a detriment to his team.
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It’s important to keep in mind that late in games, Rose has still been a threat because of his ability to get into the lane and push the ball up the court to drive the offense and get his teammates in a better position to execute, but there are many point guards in the league right now that can do those same things.
What Rose is doing for his team isn’t exactly original anymore, as more guards are coming into the league both athletic and effective for what they are asked to do as they run a unit.
Now a lot of this was to be expected because he has missed so much time, but if Rose does not get his shooting struggles turned around, and if he cannot take better care of the basketball, then the Bulls may eventually have to look elsewhere for a point guard that can do these things at a higher level than Rose can right now.
The Bulls are almost at the halfway mark on the year, and I would bet the house that they were expecting more from their former superstar at this point. Have there been enough flashes to suggest that Rose will get things back on track? Absolutely.
Rose has had his fair share of clutch baskets and athletic finishes to go along with some great looks at the three-point and mid-range jump shots. What Rose has lacked is consistency more than anything, as great games seem to be few and far between, and he hasn’t had many points where he has been able to string a few better games together for Chicago.
Games like Rose had in the above video against the Toronto Raptors need to be more of the norm if he and the Bulls are going to be taken more seriously in the Eastern Conference.
Chicago has the depth in their rotation to still play at a high level and compete even if Rose isn’t at full strength, but come playoff time the Bulls will need a player that can go out and be a leader late in the game and get the buckets necessary to move on to the next round.
Rose has been a below-average player for Chicago according to the Player Efficiency Rating metric, recording a 14.9 PER, which is less than the league average of 15. Oh by the way, he hasn’t gotten it done on the defensive side of the ball either, posting a minus-2.5 defensive plus-minus to this point.
The game just seems to be too fast right now for a player struggling to put together a solid comeback campaign.
The good news for the Bulls is that Rose seems to have all the fight in the world left in him, which is an encouraging sign to say the least. It says something that he has been willing to acknowledge that he hasn’t been up to par this season and knows he needs to keep pushing himself to play better as the season goes on.
If he were to feel comfortable with his progress instead of looking at what he needs to work on, then I would be a lot more worried about his mental state than I am at this point.
Should the Bulls be concerned with the limited advancement Rose has seemed to make on the court? Yes, they have to be by default because this is an organization looking to compete for a title not just this year, but for years to come.
The core group is in place to contend for the foreseeable future, so Rose’s health is one of the biggest key focuses Chicago is going to have until Rose proves that all the concerns with his game and health have been for not.
Rose still has time to turn things around, and as long as he keeps fighting and remains unsatisfied with what he has done to this point, then he should be able to reclaim his title as a top point guard in this league before long.
*Statistics courtesy of Basketball-Reference.