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NBA: 10 Players Failing To Live Up To Expectations In 2015-16

By Gerald Bourguet

Apr 9, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat guard Goran Dragic (7) is defended by Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (1) during the first half at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 9, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat guard Goran Dragic (7) is defended by Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (1) during the first half at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 14, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (1) brings the ball up court against the Philadelphia 76ers during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Derrick Rose

Something has to change with Derrick Rose. I understand that Rose is a Chicago icon, that he won an MVP Award and that at one time, he was considered the league’s only worthy adversary to LeBron James. But even with Jimmy Butler‘s leadership of the Chicago Bulls being called into question, we can certainly say this is no longer D-Rose’s team.

It’s great that Rose has finally been able to stay on the court after so many devastating, injury-riddled seasons. But the truth is that he’s not a star player anymore, let alone an MVP-caliber one. Rose’s offense has been so bad it’s no wonder the Bulls rank in the bottom five for offensive rating, with their starting point guard averaging 14.4 points on 15.3 shots per game.

To put that into context, Butler — easily the best player on the team — is taking 15.5 shots per game. But while Jimmy Buckets is shooting 44.5 percent from the floor, Rose sits at a dismal field goal percentage of 38.6 and an anemic 24.6 percent from deep. More often than not, he’s settled for jumpers instead of being in attack mode where he’s most effective.

Rose still shows flashes of brilliance, like his 34-point game against the Detroit Pistons, his 25-point outing against the Dallas Mavericks or freakishly absurd plays like the one above. But those are the exceptions now, not the rule, and it might be time to face unfortunate facts: Derrick Rose will never be “the guy” again and needs to become more of a facilitator.

Next: No. 1