A Preview of Point Guard Derrick Rose

By Trey Cosby

Coming off two of the most impressive individual performances of the 2008 NCAA Tournament, carrying his team on his back to the Final Four while showing a package of size and athleticism that is unheard of at the college level, there is very little doubt any more about just how good of a prospect Derrick Rose is. The only question at this point seems to be—just how good can he become down the road, possibly in Chicago?

Rose has done everything humanly possible to make a case for himself to be considered the No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. While just a few weeks ago it was virtually a guarantee that Michael Beasley would claim that spot, Rose has now, at the very least, given NBA GMs plenty to think about before deciding to pass him up. Depending on which team lands the top pick, and what their point guard situation looks like, it’s not ludicrous at all to suggest at this point that he might even be the one. That's why Derrick Rose jerseys are destined to be big sellers, and the stock of Michael Beasley photos is sure to go up.

A lot has changed since the last time Rose was talked about as a prospect. His assist to turnover ratio went from negative to a very solid 1.75/1, his shooting percentages are up, and he’s proven that he could absolutely physically overwhelm the player once considered to be the best point guard in college basketball, D.J. Augustin, in their head to head matchups. Memphis deserves a lot of credit for the way they’ve worked with him, as there is no question from breaking down his film that he is a much better all-around player than he was two or three months ago. To celebrate this rising star, Derrick Rose basketballs are another good investment.

Reading defenses and attacking his matchups more intelligently seems to be the place that Rose has improved the most. You no longer see him driving into the lane aimlessly at 180 miles an hour with no idea where he’s headed, which has helped him cut down substantially on his turnovers. His pull-up jumper from mid-range and right handed floater in the lane are two parts of his game that he seems to have worked vigorously on, and he looks extremely confident taking these shots rather than just relying on his freakish athleticism to bail him out in the lane. John Calipari’s offense instilled an incredibly aggressive scoring/slashing mentality in Rose from a very early point in the season, but he also learned how to use his extraordinary talent to finish plays with advanced moves that he will surely need in the NBA as well.

Some may point to Rose’s relatively low assist totals and wonder why he hasn’t done a better job at getting people involved. While his court vision probably isn’t the best part of his game at this point, we need to keep in mind the type of offense he played in, which was just not conducive to racking up assists. Rather than play a typical pick-and-roll game like most teams do, Rose’s first goal in Memphis’ offense was to try to find a seam to the basket himself and, if he couldn’t do it, pitch the ball backwards to a teammate who put the ball on the floor and nullify any chance for an assist. If Memphis had some better shooters around him, his assist totals would have probably been higher, but since they didn’t, they had to score in other ways.  Rose dished out 24 assists in four NCAA tournament games, with only five turnovers. He also added nearly 21 points per game in that span, on 58 percent shooting.

Rose’s perimeter shooting has always been the biggest concern around his game, although he did well for himself by completely revamping his shooting mechanics this past summer and sticking with them all season. He still hit less than one 3-pointer per game, and did so shooting 35 percent (as well as just 70 percent from the free throw line).  His numbers are not all that impressive, but are still an indication that his shot is not “broke” as some might say. Teams still backed off and went underneath screens on a regular basis while defending him, and he isn’t quite consistent enough with his spot-up shooting to discourage them from doing so. His pull-up jumper from mid-range is much improved, but he’s often a little bit off balance when taking it, not fully squaring his shoulders or going straight up in the air. These are things that NBA coaches will work with him extensively on, and he should be able to improve considerably if the progress he made this season is any indication. To his credit, he does look quite confident in his attempts, which is often half the battle.

Defensively, Rose has definitely made the mental adjustments needed from high school to college basketball, looking quite a bit more intense getting ready for the draft than he did earlier in the season. He’s getting in a good fundamental stance now, using his phenomenal combination of size and lateral quickness to his advantage, and is taking a more lot pride in this part of his game. It’s not just a matter of the NCAA tournament, but also during Conference USA. He still was getting beat from time to time due to a temporary lack of focus, but his incredible quickness allowed him to recover in the blink of an eye and close out on shooters the way few guards can, sometimes to even block their shots. Fortunately, there's a wide range of Derrick Rose apparel to please fans, and collectible items like Michael Beasley photomints and coins and Derrick Rose photos are likely to take off. Like I have said before, you cannot go wrong with either Beasley or Rose, and NBA teams are chomping at the bit waiting for the draft to come.  Until next time…