The New York Knicks recently acquired Derrick Rose from the Detroit Pistons, leading some to question why they conducted the trade. Despite the slack they caught, the Knicks are content with how Rose has contributed to the team on and off of the court thus far.
“He’s a great student of the game,” coach Tom Thibodeau said of Rose, via Peter Botte of the New York Post. “He’s always had that. I think that is what has allowed him to adapt, grow and change. I think you see that with a lot of players that are dominant players. They are constantly adding to their game.
Rose has only spent three games with the Knicks this season, but he's already made his presence felt off of the bench. Following a 16-point performance that helped New York defeat the Houston Rockets on Saturday, Tom Thibodeau isn't surprised that Rose is putting in extra work to get acclimated to his new teammates.
“So it doesn’t surprise me. I think he’s put a lot of time into trying to understand his new teammates and what their strengths are and how he can better effectively use them.”
Given the current state of the roster, the Knicks may plan on having Rose become their starting point guard soon. At the least, he can give them a consistent scorer off of the bench, and it gives them a mentor for rookie Immanuel Quickley.
At 32 years old and after a bevy of injuries in his career, Rose isn't the same player he once was earlier in his career. That doesn't mean he can't be a marquee member of the Knicks on and off of the court as New York hopes to sneak into the playoffs this season.
Follow Us
Subscribe