Detroit Pistons point guard Derrick Rose is officially a contender to earn an All-Star spot. The former NBA MVP ranks fourth among guards in the Eastern Conference following the third voting returns.
The third EAST returns from #VoteNBAAllStar 2020!
Make YOUR vote count twice today by voting here ➡️ https://t.co/KkbGhfwxpd pic.twitter.com/tv2GspH5Vk
— #NBAAllStar (@NBAAllStar) January 16, 2020
Rose also has the support of his head coach.
Dwane Casey said he will do anything and everything in his power to try to help Rose return to his hometown of Chicago as an All-Star, via NBA.com.
“Derrick Rose is an All-Star,” Dwane Casey said in a passionate pitch for him after his latest brilliant outing, a 27-point, nine-assist masterpiece in Saturday’s 136-103 smashing of Atlanta. “He’s getting where he wants to go with the ball. He’s picking double teams apart. I’m going to tell everybody – he should be an All-Star.”
Rose is also forcing Casey's hand in the rotation. The veteran guard had been coming off the bench for the Pistons, but his superb play prompted Casey to give him the start in each of the last two games.
Rose rewarded those decisions with a pair of excellent performances as the Pistons earned road wins over the Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks. In fact, in their latest outing against Atlanta, D-Rose top-scored the team with 27 points to go along with two rebounds and nine assists.
Moreover, it's worth noting that Rose has scored at least 20 points in each of his last eight games. He is averaging 23.0 points, 6.1 assists and 3.0 rebounds in January.
The 31-year-old is playing arguably the best basketball of his career in the Motor City. Rose's per-36 averages of 25.6 points, 8.3 assists and 3.3 rebounds are even more productive than his 2010-11 MVP campaign.
Even if Rose fails to earn a selection to the All-Star Game, he should be regarded as the leading candidate for the Sixth Man of the Year Award.
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