Don’t Give Up on Derrick Rose

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What does he have to do to catalyze this process?

1. Aggressively attack the basket

Rose’s strength as a player has always been his uncanny ability to systematically break down defenses by aggressively attacking the basket. As he become more willing to take these high percentage shots, the rest of the game will open up for him. Rose does the Bulls a favor by attacking the basket because it opens up shots for the rest of his teammates.

2. His floater Game Must be on Point

With defenders undoubtedly playing off of him and going under screens at the top of the key, Rose is left with a predicament. Opting to still drive past defenders and float it up there before the reinforcements in the form of the opposing big men get there, is an ideal solution. If Rose’s floater game improves, it will relinquish the need to take all those three point shots.

3. No more three pointers

Rose has shot an ugly 26% from behind the three point line this season. Throughout his career, he has never excelled in this area, topping out at 34% as his career high. Continuing to take (and miss) three pointers will not help his confidence and won’t take him out of his current shooting funk.

4. Remain Confident

This is key. The talent will always be there. The otherworldly speed and 40 inch vertical didn’t just disappear overnight. As long as he remains confident in his athletic abilities and in his knees, he will be just fine. If he remains confident he will continue being aggressive and taking the shots that he needs to take.

Next: Experimenting with Nikola at small forward