Cleveland Cavaliers: Derrick Rose must be efficient as a starting point guard
With the newly acquired Isaiah Thomas out for a large chunk of the season, the Cleveland Cavaliers must rely on Derrick Rose to lead their offense. If he wants to prove himself as a viable option to do so, he must be efficient.
The Cleveland Cavaliers won their opening game against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday, and Derrick Rose contributed to the victory. He scored 14 points in the win and only turned the ball over twice.
On the surface, this seems like a fairly positive way to debut on a new team for a veteran point guard. No one will have a negative opinion of a guard who can score a decent amount of points and also keep control of the basketball.
When you look deeper into Rose’s numbers, however, they tell something of a different story.
As I mentioned before, Rose scored 14 points but he did so on 5-of-14 shooting from the field. Rose’s 14 shot attempts ranked second on the team on Tuesday, as only LeBron James attempted more.
Since his initial ACL injury in 2012, Rose’s field goal percentage has taken a steep decline.
Before the injury, Rose shot 47.5, 48.9, and 44.5 percent from the field in his first three seasons, respectively. His athleticism and explosiveness allowed him to get to the rim at will, and take high percentage shots more often.
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After his injury, Rose’s next three seasons saw him shoot 35.4, 40.5 and 42.7 percent from the field, respectively. Repeated knee injuries made it increasingly difficult for him to take defenders off the dribble and get to the rim. This led to him taking more three-pointers and mid-range jumpers, or in other words, lower percentage shots.
The dribble drive has been Rose’s comfort zone for his entire career and it worked well for him last season with the Knicks. Rose made 55.7% of his attempts at the rim in New York last year, as opposed to 21.7% of his three-point attempts. The numbers show that Rose is at his best when he attacks the basket. That was the case on Tuesday.
Four of Rose’s made shots versus Boston were attempts made at the rim or close to it. He made one of three shots from beyond the arc, but his career 33.3% 3 point percentage doesn’t support him becoming anything more than an average three-point shooter, at best.
Rose didn’t make a single mid-range jumper on Tuesday, which is something of a concerning statistic. If Rose relies too much on an inconsistent outside shot, it could be disastrous for the Cavaliers. Taking low-percentage shots and not moving the ball around the perimeter to open players could hurt the Cavs’ chances at winning games.
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The best version of Derrick Rose for the Cavaliers is a Derrick Rose that drives to the basket, gets to the free throw line, and facilitates at a decent level. If Rose can do that somewhat consistently, he will be a viable option as a starting point guard, at least until Isaiah Thomas returns from his hip injury.