The Detroit Pistons are expected to be without Blake Griffin until November, so they are going to need a more dynamic offensive impact from their supporting cast pieces. One option that they could lean on is former MVP Derrick Rose.
The variety of ways that Rose can provide an offensive impact is greater than the Pistons' alternative perimeter options. Between his explosive ability to get into the paint off the dribble, create his own shot in the mid-range and set up teammates for shots, Rose is the most all-around threat that the Pistons have in their backcourt rotation.
š¹ Best of Derrick Rose this preseason! pic.twitter.com/P9GDHs1GgA
ā Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) October 20, 2019
Without a player like Griffin in the lineup, the ability to score is obviously important. However, being able to collapse the defense is a trait in Rose's game that will be needed even more. This is an area where the Pistons' other guards like Reggie Jackson and Bruce Brown are simply not going to match what Rose can provide.
āHeās one if you donāt bring the defense in (the paint), heās going to be at the rim,ā Casey said, via Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. āHeās doing a great job of getting to the basket. Heās more of a trigger to get 3-point shooting going, getting into the paint, making decisions. Heās one of the best Iāve seen, getting into the paint, making the decision or getting to the rim with power and speed.ā
Rose is coming off an impressive season with the Minnesota Timberwolves with averages of 18.0 points, 4.3 assists and only 1.6 turnovers. His shooting splits were solid as well, as the Chicago native shot 48.2 percent from the field, 37 percent on three-pointers and 85.6 percent on free throws.
The main concern was Rose played in only 51 games.
The impact that Rose provided the Timberwolves was intriguing to see given after he played in just 25 games in 2017-18 with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Timberwolves. There were concerns if he would be able to come back from injury and still be an explosive athlete, but he dispelled that. Rose's production last season ended up actually being better than what it was with the New York Knicks during the 2016-17 season, where he also averaged 18.0 points per game.
The way that Rose is approaching the game with the Pistons is more under control in comparison to his days with the Chicago Bulls. He is playing with more control and has raised his efficiency while doing so in the process.
āIām more poised, Iām shooting the 3, Iām more efficient,ā Rose said, via Noah Trister of the Associated Press. āItās just that people love to see the reckless way that I played, and the reckless way that I played led me to my injuries.ā
The Pistons could experiment with the rate that they are utilizing Rose as a playmaker and see what level of responsibility he can handle.
The worst-case scenario is that he loses his efficiency and they can scale his responsibilities back a bit, but ultimately, the potential that he has is higher than Jackson's.
In the Pistons' opening night win against the Indiana Pacers, Rose scored 18 points and dished out nine assists off the bench, helping Detroit defeat the Pacers.
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