Derrick Rose Continues to Improve With Every Start

For Bulls point guard Derrick Rose, returning to pre-injury form is going to be an arduous process. After a third major knee surgery at the end of February, Rose is returning to basics in regards to his approach to the game of basketball.

"“Every game I’m just trying to get better. Try to push myself every game.”"

For Rose, getting better with each passing game is going to be key. With the talent across the lineup this season, the Bulls don’t necessarily need Derrick to play at an MVP level in order to be successful. They need Rose to be aggressive because when he is, it draws the attention of the defense and allows his teammates to get wide open looks from the field.

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After missing the previous 20 games with a meniscus tear in his right knee, the Bulls’ point guard finally returned to action on Wednesday night against the Orlando Magic. In 19 minutes of playing time, Rose scored nine points on 3-9 from the field and complimented his shooting with a pair of rebounds and assists. Rose’s made field goals included a mid range pull-up, a drive to the basket and a 3-point field goal. Here are the highlights from the game on Wednesday.

Unfortunately Rose’s performance Wednesday night marked a return to bad habits. Rose fell in love with the 3-pointer, a shot that he hasn’t consistently hit the entire season. In 19 minutes of playing time, Rose attempted six 3s and only managed to sink one of them. The sheer quantity of 3s that he attempted on Wednesday is disproportionate to his season average. During the 2014-2015 season, Rose has averaged 5.5 3-point attempts in 31 minutes of playing time per game. This number is still way too high for an athletic point guard of Rose’s caliber who only shoots 28.7 percent from behind the line. Rose’s field goal percentage puts him at #141 in the league in this category. ESPN only lists 143 players who have a large enough body of work to be ranked in this category.

Apr 8, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (1) drives past Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic (9) during the second half of an NBA basketball game at Amway Center. The Magic won 105-103. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

Rose has spent the majority of the last three years sidelined with knee injuries. At the beginning stages of his rehabilitation, it seems like a plausible assumption that shooting is one of the few activities that he can partake in without putting unneeded stress on his knees. With this being said, it is strange that Rose’s 3-point shooting percentage is so low this season.

It is sensible to expect a non-assertive approach to his first game back. However, moving forward, Rose needs to be more aggressive and challenge defenders to guard him by relentlessly attacking the basket. Rose’s ability to penetrate on a whim provides a two-fold advantage for the Chicago Bulls. First, when Rose is driving, he becomes one of the premier players in the entire league capable of taking over a game virtually whenever he feels like it. Rose’s first-step explosion and in-air body control couple to form a lethal combination that makes him extremely difficult to guard on the offensive side of the ball. Even when Derrick Rose opts to pass the ball off on drives, his ability to command double teams leaves his teammates wide open for shots.

As noted above, Rose is approaching the games right now with the mindset of improving every night. His numbers may not indicate it, but Rose played a lot better Thursday night against the Miami Heat. Here are the highlights from the game.

Rose scored 12 points on 5-15 from the field and went 0-3 from behind the arc. The first noticeable improvement is that he took less 3-pointers; instead opting to rely on mid-range jumpers or aggressive drives to the basket for his offensive production. Rose isn’t a good 3-point shooter, so when he opts to take shorter range shots his scoring is going to become more efficient. We can live with Rose missing shots around the basket, because sooner rather than later he is going to get his touch back and have full confidence in his knees again and those shots are going to fall. Additionally, the proficiency of his mid-range jumper game is going to be vitally important to his success moving forward so it was nice to see him take more of these shots in his second game back. Rose’s ability to get past his perimeter defender will put him in a lot of situations where a big man will try to come out to the perimeter in order to help out on the PG. Instead of driving all the way to the basket in these situations, Rose can pull-up for mid-range jumpers before the defender can close out and defend him. If Rose can consistently hit mid-range jumpers, this could also help him stay injury-free as he wouldn’t have to throw his body around under the basket as frequently.

Apr 9, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah (right) reacts after guard Derrick Rose (left) drives to the basket against the Miami Heat during the second half at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

As the regular season comes to a close, all that Rose can be expected to do is to improve with each passing game. The Bulls need a confident Derrick Rose to play aggressive basketball in order to be successful come the postseason. The game Thursday night was a sign that things are pointing in the right direction.

UPDATE:

Rose continued his trend in the upward direction with a fantastic performance Saturday night against the Philadelphia 76ers. He finally received playing time in the fourth quarter and made the most of the opportunity. He had one of his best all-around games of the entire season, scoring 22 points on 8-for-19 from the field. He also recorded eight assists and six rebounds including a no-look pass inside to Taj Gibson from the half-court stripe that essentially put the game away for the Bulls. The eight assists and Rose’s willingness to attack in transition were very impressive tonight. In back-to-back, late fourth quarter situations Rose delivered clutch shots when the Bulls were in desperate need of a basket. The killer instinct is still there!

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