In case you’re incredibly young or have an extremely short memory, the pre-injury, 2010-2011 NBA MVP Derrick Rose created the kind of fan excitement and media buzz more recently associated with Steph Curry.
People tuned in to watch Rose on a nightly basis, as he tore teams up with his dynamic, aggressive play, leading his hometown Chicago Bulls to a league-leading record of 62-20.
Now a New York Knickerbocker, Rose has moved on since his younger days. He told Steve Serby of the New York Post that he doesn’t miss the player that he used to be:
“No. I know I could become better. … I was a dumb player at the time,” Rose said. “I was reckless. … I wasn’t being smart. I wish I never dunked the ball. … I was playing too fast, I wasn’t changing up my speeds. I wasn’t reading the game right. And I think my IQ of the game wasn’t as high as it is right now. I feel like I’m more in control. I’m more balanced.”
Comparing his current approach to that of his younger self, Rose revealed that most of his improvement has been on the mental side of things:
“I think I’m able to read the NBA game a lot better, and pick and choose my spots. When I was younger, I was trying to figure out the league. I was still trying to figure what type of player I was gonna become. And now, I feel like with the IQ that I have and with the experience I have after playing nine years, I could really go out there and pick and choose my spots, instead of just going out there shooting shots trying to win the game.”
Whilst the old, ‘reckless’ version of Rose could help his team reach an elite level, his effort to become a more complete player will prolong his playing career, which is important for anyone who has missed out on a significant amount of his prime.
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