Derrick Rose Sends Strong Message to Knicks PG Jalen Brunson

Getty Derrick Rose has nothing but praise for Jalen Brunson.

The New York Knicks are on a seven game winning streak, and interestingly enough it has come with Derrick Rose, Evan Fournier and Cam Reddish all playing little to no minutes.

Rose was missed mightily last season as he missed the majority of the season due to a variety of injuries, but the signing of Jalen Brunson has made it so he hardly sees the floor this year.

Instead of being upset about the move, Rose knows it’s part of life in the NBA, and he doesn’t seem to be mad about it at all. Rose also has nothing but praise for Brunson, and he explains his role on the team in mentoring the new point guard in an interview with The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

Rose Praises Brunson

There’s a lot to like about Brunson this season as a Knicks fan, and he’s clearly played a big role in the team’s turnaround from last season. Rose sees it and he sounds like he couldn’t be happier for the new point guard.

When asked by Charania about being out of the rotation, Rose says it’s an easier pill to swallow with him watching Brunson have a strong year.

“It makes my job easier seeing Jalen, seeing the way that he’s playing,” Rose said. “He listens, so that’s half the battle when you’re dealing with someone like that. He’s a hell of a player, a winner too. He won in college, won in high school, and he’s trying to win on the next level now. So it’s up to me to guide him, and not be forceful, but try to give him as much info, knowledge and wisdom as I can.”

Coming into the season, the Knicks weren’t predicted to be much more than a play-in team, so they have exceeded those expectations so far, but there’s still a lot of season to go.

So far, things are going well for the Knicks and the nine man rotation that coach Tom Thibodeau decided to go with has been working out nicely.

What’s Next For Rose?

The former MVP can still contribute, but the Knicks decided to go with youth with Miles McBride, a move that Rose took in stride.

It was a regular convo,” he told Charania when asked about how Thibodeau told Rose about his new role. “He just said that he was going with Deuce (McBride), and I told him that I understood. I’m cool with Deuce — like super cool with Deuce.”

This could mean a move is on the horizon, but it’s tough to gauge how much excitement there is for Rose. This is a player who’s 34 years old and playing barely any minutes, so there’s really no way of knowing what he still brings to the table.

If a team is looking for veteran leadership, Rose can definitely provide that and he can likely still chip in with 10-15 minutes off the bench for a team. He’s not getting that with the Knicks, but a team looking to add a veteran could certainly do worse than Rose.

The market for him will likely end up being slow, and if he is traded the Knicks won’t be getting a lot in return unless he’s part of a bigger package.