“Derrick Rose has turned New York Knicks around”: How the 2011 NBA MVP has supercharged Tom Thibodeau’s offense alongside Julius Randle

The reunion between Derrick Rose and the New York Knicks has proved to be one of the fairytale NBA stories this season.

There are a ton of factors that have caused such a change in the Knicks’ fortunes. Their outlook for this year was as bleak as practically any year in the post-Melo era. In fact, their Vegas over/under for the 72-game season was fixed at a mere 22.5 games.

Tom Thibodeau’s arrival was greeted with only partial optimism by fans. Many were skeptical of his influence on team culture after his failure to take the Timberwolves to the next level.

However, much of this changed when the Knicks acquired Derrick Rose via a trade in February. Stuck at a 11-14 record at the time, it was clear that the Knicks needed a natural playmaker to change their stagnant offense.

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How Derrick Rose has changed the fortunes of the New York Knicks

D-Rose once played at Madison Square Garden as their starting point guard. Expectations were high from the 2011 NBA MVP, but Phil Jackson’s insistence on using the triangle offense proved counterproductive.

This time around, Rose is being coached by his favorite Tom Thibodeau – a man who knows him through and through. Thibs is in the running for Coach of the Year honors with good reason.

He’s a defensive ace who’s brought solidity and consistency with their defense – the Knicks rank among the NBA’s top defensive teams. But they needed more than a stifling defense to consistently win games – they need a veteran point guard to run their offense.

Since Rose’s arrival, the Knicks have seen a sea change in their fortunes. Derrick Rose was traded to the Knicks on February 8th, and they have a 27-15 record since that particular date.

His raw stats of 14.8 points and 4.2 assists per game on 48.8% from the field and 41% from 3 are impressive enough, but they hardly reveal the whole story.

D-Rose gets them buckets against defenses from all 3 ranges. He keeps his defenders honest with his world-class ability to accelerate and weave through traffic. Keeping his defender on the backfoot has helped him become a more consistent shooter than ever before.

In Rose’s own words, he feels like he’s at highest level ever – and we get that sentiment. Because in ‘pure baller’ terms, Rose’s game has now got a flair and versatility that he never had before.

Rose and Randle put on a show as the Knicks beat the Clippers at the Staples yesterday. It was just the latest episode from a spectacularly resurgent season for him.

Some D-Rose stats with the New York Knicks

The 32-year-old has a +/- of +206 in 32 games since his arrival in New York this year. This is the highest for any Knicks player all season long, not just over those 32 games.

Rose has a net rating of 11.8 – the best on his team. The Knicks’ defensive rating of 101.6 with him would be the league’s best by a margin of nearly 5. Without Derrick Rose, the Knicks’ net rating drops to -1.0 points per 100 possessions – another indicator of his value.

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