Derrick Rose's value to second unit obvious when he's a spectator
Derrick Rose of the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2022. Credit: Jim McIsaac
As the Knicks were falling apart Wednesday night in the fourth quarter, suffering their first loss of the postseason, there was a common sight. Derrick Rose was on the bench, watching as the team looked disjointed and lost.
Unlike last season when Rose was undergoing multiple surgical procedures, he was just held out for a rest day. The preseason schedule for Rose has been mostly sitting and watching at game time, playing less than six minutes in the first game, 12:31 in the second game and then sitting out completely.
But Rose is healthy and in better shape than he has been after playing only 26 games last season.
“Yeah, it’s whatever Thibs wants,” Rose said last week, referring to coach Tom Thibodeau, who has been around Rose for most of the former MVP’s career. “I think he’s trying to assess the younger guys, I guess guys trying to make the team. I mean, it’s a good sign for me because it let me know he’s not worried about me. Seriously, though, my conditioning, like I say every day, I’m picking it up . . . He’s more worried about my conditioning, which I think I passed the test.”
Players have spoken about Rose’s leadership, which manifests itself more in deeds than words, but growing in that vocal sense, too. The showing without him Wednesday only emphasized his value as the Knicks' second unit struggled on both ends of the floor.
The Knicks finish the postseason schedule Friday night at Madison Square Garden against the Washington Wizards, the last test before next Wednesday's season opener in Memphis, and they have seen less than 20 minutes from Rose and no game appearances from Quentin Grimes, both expected to be a huge part of the rotation. Without those two, Cam Reddish got another chance but struggled once again, a minus-22 in under 22 minutes, missing his first five shots and hitting only 1 of 6 from beyond the arc while he — and most of the second unit — struggled on the defensive end.
“Obviously, the bench could’ve played better,” Thibodeau said after the game. "I don’t like to put it on one person. I know you guys like to say it’s this guy or that guy. The group has to function well. That’s the bottom line.”
While it is just the preseason and the kinks are still being worked out, Thibodeau certainly was not pleased that the team didn’t know how to handle the offensive attack of the Pacers, repeatedly getting lost on screens as Indiana converted nine of its last 10 shots.
“Obviously, we didn’t do what we needed to do at the end,” Thibodeau said. “There wasn’t any defense being played, so that was a big problem. Guys were beating us with the same move. That should never happen. We got to straighten that out.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.