There was once a time when Derrick Rose could do no wrong. He was the pride of the city of Chicago, every move, both on and off the court, was perfect in the eyes of his fans. Then April 28, 2012 rolled around, and things have changed since for the worst. The previous date, of course, represents the day when a double clutch pass manifested into a torn ACL and he was dealt the biggest curve ball of his career thus far.
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So far, the much anticipated 2014-2015 return of Derrick Rose hasn’t followed the ideal script. Rose has already missed 8 games (out of 20) this season and he hasn’t come close to reciprocating the statistics that he put up in past seasons. Most disconcerting is the lack of attack in the former MVP’s game, and his willingness to pull up from three point land where he shoots an extremely low percentage. This cautiousness on the part of Rose stems from the inner demons and doubts that he still possesses due to the litany of major injuries that he has sustained in his career. However, in order for the Bull’s to be successful and for Rose to fully trust his body again, he needs to return to the aggressive playing style that has defined his career. If the external pressure by media and fans won’t persuade him to do just that, recent comments made by Tom Thibodeau may be the tipping point that convinces Rose to attack the basket aggressively once again.
Dec 6, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (1) with the ball during the second half against the Golden State Warriors at the United Center. The Warriors won 112-102. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
Tom Thibodeau, traditionally regarded as one of Rose’s biggest advocates, has expressed a fair amount of criticism and frustration regarding various aspects of Derrick Rose’s mentality and on-court performances. The latest criticism of Rose by Thibodeau post-ceded the Bulls practice on Tuesday afternoon.
Thibodeau addressed an issue that has frustrated Bulls fan all season: his lack of aggressiveness and willingness to settle for low percentage three pointers as opposed to attacking the basket.
"“He has to attack,” Thibodeau said. “That’s the bottom line. Some teams are going under (screens) and some teams will adjust to a blitz. All I know is when he’s pushing the ball up the floor and attacking, that’s who he is. He can’t defer. He can’t pace himself. He’s gotta go.”"
Later in the conversation with reporters, Thibodeau offered an explanation for why he believes Rose has been more passive this season as opposed to in the past. Surprisingly, the slew of injuries that has plagued the former MVP isn’t Thibodeau’s explanation for the flaws in Rose’s game this season.
"“By nature, he’s trying to fit in right now. It’s a new team for him. He’s trying to learn his teammates. He’s playing off people,” Thibodeau said. “We need him to go. Just go. Go. Great players will figure it out. Pau (Gasol) will figure it out.Joakim (Noah), Jimmy (Butler), they’re going to figure it out. That’s the way it is.”"
Derrick Rose has not only struggled mightily from behind the three point line, but he is shooting it more and driving to the bucket less than any other time of his career.
Twenty games into the 2014 season, Derrick Rose has accumulated a 30% field goal percentage which is the third lowest of his career. The two years where he shot the lowest percentage from behind the arc were his first two years in the league. During these two years, Rose shot the three significantly less than he does this season which probably goes a long way towards explaining the low shooting percentage. During the 2014-2015 season, he averages almost 6 three point shots a game, the highest of his career by far. Rose is significantly under the league average three point percentage of 35%. According to Scott Powers of ESPN.com, a whopping 45.3% of his shot attempts are from behind the arc, an incredibly high total for a 30% three point shooter. Powers also notes in his article that Rose has never attempted more than 28.3% of his shots from behind the arc at any time during his career thus far. Rose is a changed player right now, and not in a good way.
Dec 6, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (1) shoots over Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) during the first quarter at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
With the slew of offensive weapons that now reside on the Bull’s offense this season, Rose may have the mindset that he has to get other player’s involved in order for the team to reach their full potential. Rose has become complacent because he feels like he no longer needs to carry the offensive burden for this team which is true, to an extent. However, whatever the Bulls are doing, it isn’t working as well as they like; the team owns a 12-8 record which, when put in perspective, is indicative of them under-performing considering the talent that is on this team. The Bull’s aren’t scoring enough to win games. I realize their defense isn’t at the level that Thibodeau wants it to be at, but in order to compete deep in the playoffs and especially in the NBA finals against a high-powered Western Conference opponent the Bulls need to score more efficiently and more frequently. This starts and ends with the play of Rose because he is the offensive catalyst on this team and he has the ability to efficiently create shots for his teammates based on his ability to break down defenses so effortlessly.
Dec 6, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (1) drives past Golden State Warriors forward Marreese Speights (5) during the second half at the United Center. The Warriors won 112-102. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
Rose can be aggressive without being a ball-hog. When he drives into the lane, the defense collapses on him which allows for opportunities for open shooters. When big men are forced to switch on him, it creates mismatches elsewhere on the court which can easily be exploited with Rose’s passing ability. Rose has pulled up for outside shot and three pointers way too much this season. Many of these attempts are bad looks that come too early in the shot clock which is a problem when any player is doing it, not just Rose. The real reason that Rose should lay off the three pointers (besides the fact that he isn’t very good from behind the arc), is that when Rose settles for threes he is bailing out the defense. They don’t have to work as hard or for as long(in terms of having to play defense for a large majority of the shot clock), and this translates to an easier time scoring on the offensive end because they didn’t expend as much energy on the defensive side of the ball.
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The Chicago Bulls match-up against the Brooklyn Nets tonight. After the long break since the team was last in action, it will be interesting to see if Rose heeds Thibodeau’s advice and adds the element of aggression back into his game.