Derrick Rose: Can Timberwolves Guard Remain Consistent?

Getty Images Minnesota Timberwolves point guard, Derrick Rose is playing some of his best basketball.

Minnesota Timberwolves’ point guard, Derrick Rose has had one roller coaster of a career. Ever since his unfortunate knee injury during a playoff series with the Chicago Bulls during his prime, he simply hasn’t been the same player. It’s been a tough stretch, but Rose refuses to settle for anything less than greatness at this point in his career.

After spending seven seasons in Chicago, Rose has appeared on three different teams. The New York Knicks, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and now the Minnesota Timberwolves. Last season, Rose only managed to play in 25 games, due to another injury once again. While everybody realistically thought that there’s no way he could make a comeback, Rose makes the doubters eat their words, and second-guess themselves.

With the T’Wolves, Rose only had the opportunity to play in nine games with them last season. This year, he got a fresh start and has appeared in eleven of twelve games to date. The 30-year-old phenom is currently averaging 17.4 points-per-game, which is a feat that he hasn’t touched since 2016. I don’t want to ask if Rose is back, because we should know by now that he will not be that same player. But can he at least remain consistent, and be somewhat of a star contributor once again in the NBA?

Is Rose Really on the Rise Again?

I’m sure you’ve heard by now that Rose literally surpassed his career-high a little under two weeks ago. He managed to drop 50 points against the Utah Jazz within the first month of the season. Sure, that total shot his averages up a bit, but Rose wasn’t exactly playing like some scrub before that though. Although he pretty much missed the next two games, he played for over 30 minutes in the last two games, where he scored over 20 points in both contests.

At this point, this is no fluke for Rose. He’s still got it. Obviously, his biggest concern will be his health, as we have learned that he cannot be trusted in that department. But as long as the Timberwolves are monitoring his minutes, in an attempt to keep him as healthy as possible, there is no reason as to why Rose can’t emulate the type of player that he once was early on in his career.

As Rose continues to consistently put up points, the Timberwolves decided to insert him into their starting lineup. They seem to be taking it slow with Rose as they are most likely trying to avoid any short to long-term setbacks, but so far the T’Wolves have gotten everything they could ask from him, and more. It will be interesting to see if Rose can continue to remain consistent moving forward. This will definitely be a great story to tell in the future if he turns in a big season at age 30, given his medical history.