New York Knicks: 5 Reasons They Might Be Legit
3. A More Efficient D-Rose
When the Knicks traded for Derrick Rose and added the 2011 MVP to a roster that already included Carmelo Anthony, there was concern over whether there’d be enough shots to go around, especially for the sophomore stud Porzingis.
Fortunately, Rose has accepted a tertiary role behind Melo and the Zinger, taking only 14.9 field goal attempts per game to Melo’s 19.0 per game and Porzingis’ 16.0 per game. Kristaps still needs more shot attempts because of his heightened efficiency, but Rose has accepted and embraced no longer being “the guy” for his team.
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Even better, Rose has been far more efficient than he’s been in recent years. He’s shooting a paltry 25.8 percent from three-point range, but he’s only taking 1.6 long range attempts per game — down from the 2.3 per game he attempted last year, and WAY down from the 5.3 per game he took in 2014-15.
Rose is shooting 45.5 percent from the field and according to NBA.com, he’s converted 52.4 percent of his attempts around the basket.
D-Rose will never recapture MVP form, but he doesn’t really have to. At best he’s a one-year rental who knows his role, and though there’s definitely a worst-case scenario where he does just enough to earn a bloated extension from Phil Jackson, as long as he doesn’t try to do too much over Melo and Porzingis, maybe this trade won’t be the end of the world after all.