The 75 greatest NBA players of the 2010s, ranked

40) Derrick Rose

Of all of the players on the list, Derrick Rose probably had the most up-and-down decade. Rose was selected by the Chicago Bulls in 2008 and won Rookie of the Year before the start of the decade. Once the 2010s began, it appeared as though he was destined for great things. From 2009–10 to 2011–12, he made three straight all-star teams, won league MVP, and made an all-NBA first team.

Not only that but he led the Bulls to the best record in the NBA in 2010–11, and then things began to go haywire. He again led the Bulls to the best record in the league in 2011–12, then he tore his ACL in the first game of the 2012 playoffs. That cost him and the Bulls a chance at the NBA Finals and cost him all of the 2012–13 season. Injuries then forced him to miss all but 10 games of the 2013–14 season.

He lasted two more seasons in Chicago but they were forced to trade him since he was still on a max contract but no longer a max player. He had a bounce-back year for the New York Knicks in 2016–17, averaging 18 points per game in 64 games but played just 76 games over the final two seasons of the decade with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Minnesota Timberwolves. It wasn't always pretty but Rose had enough of a resume to earn a spot among the top 40 players of the 2010s, largely thanks to the first three years of the decade.