Derrick Rose - The Second coming!

The New York Knicks has been a story of the season in the NBA. There are a lot of factors when it comes down to such a resurgence for the Knicks. Coach Tom Thibodeau has been one of the best things that have happened to the Knicks franchise. 

The franchise was on a rise from the start of the season, however, there was an absence of a figure that could be of a seniority level per se. A player who has done it all at the highest level. 

And what does Thibodeau do here? Bring back Derrick Rose with him. 

The coach who backed Derrick Rose since his MVP days in Chicago Bulls brought him back to the NBA after a string of failed seasons with the New York Knicks (1st tenure)and Cleveland Cavaliers post his recovery from a career-threatening ACL injury. 

Tom Thibodeau brought Derrick Rose back first when he was coaching the Minnesota Timberwolves where he put himself on the map again and then was traded to the Detroit Pistons. 

The Pistons were bound to be a lottery pick this season after Blake Griffin's trade to the Brooklyn Nets. Tom Thibodeau saw this as an opportunity and brought him back to the Mecca of Basketball, The New York Knicks

Come back to the Knicks

Derrick Rose was traded to the New York Knicks in February when the Knicks had a record of 11-14 who were in search of a playmaker alongside the rising Julius Randle. 

Rose was robbed of his beast athleticism due to the ACL injury he suffered during his Bulls era. Most of the current squad were not even close to 15 years when Derrick Rose won his 1st MVP at just 22 years old. 

Rose is a rare breed of Point-Guard who has transformed his game post-injury, playing a less explosive game, improving his shooting percentages to suit the team needs. He is definitely not a sniper from the three-point arc, but definitely a shooter from the Mid - Range 

Tom Thibodeau mentions - “Whether he was the MVP of the league at 22 or 10 years later he's the same guy. He's always been a team-first guy and winning’s always at the forefront, he's always been a great teammate'

The New York Knicks are on the verge of landing a home-court advantage if they continue their winning ways.

Improvement Post Trade

It was expected that Derrick Rose won't be directly added up in the New York Knicks squad post the trade as he was being included as a player who would be helping the squad to get depth and be a go-through scorer off the bench.

A player of Rose's stature, it is surprising that he accepted the role happily, and outshone everybody on the court.

Derrick Rose NBA Stats 2020-21

As we compare the contrasting numbers in the same season, it was obvious that Derrick Rose had never lost his touch. If we see the drastic improvement in the shooting percentages is the one to make a note of. 

Importance of Derrick Rose for the Knicks for Playoffs

Derrick Rose is that light in the dark road which every lost individual looks for and Rose came in as light for the New York Knicks. He sets up the squad for a comeback even if they are down by a lot. 

The former Chicago Bulls star has been selfless at times and restricts his minutes on the court and allows the other two Point Guards Immanuel Quickley, and Elfrid Payton to have valuable minutes on the court.

One of the major issues that the New York Knicks faced was closing out games. There have been situations at the start of the season where the Knicks have had comfortable leads at the start of the 4th Quarter and had then gone down to lose the game. 

Derrick Rose has attained mastery in this and it has been seen during his tenure with the Chicago Bulls and Timberwolves.

Another factor is his experience at the Playoffs, with another former Chicago Bulls star Taj Gibson in the squad, the playoffs experience is limited. 

The squad - Nerlens Noel - 2 Playoff Appearances, Alec Burks - 3 Playoff appearances, and the rest of the squad has 1 to nil playoff experiences. 

However, Derrick Rose averages 22.7 points per game in the Playoffs - where this could be a valuable asset to the squad.

Derrick Rose: MVP Season Averages v/s Current Season Averages with the New York Knicks