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The New York Knicks are getting closer and closer to the start of the season, and fans are getting excited.
After a rough last season, there’s a lot to look forward to this time around as Jalen Brunson is in town leading the show, marking a huge upgrade over Kemba Walker and Alec Burks from the previous year.
Something that has flown under the radar this offseason is some of the veterans getting healthy. A big part of last season’s struggles was the fact the team had nobody to rely on at point guard, and that goes for Derrick Rose as well.
Rose missed a good chunk of last season and only appeared in 26 total games. Based on a recent video clip of Rose, it sounds like all of that is behind him.
Rose is Healthy and Ready to Go
The Grind Doesn’t Stop 🌹
In a video posted to the Knicks Twitter account on September 20, fans get a glimpse at Rose going through a variety of different workouts.
Rose reveals he’s down to his rookie playing weight, and he calls that a “blessing.”
“I haven’t felt this healthy in a long time, back to my rookie weight,” he said. “195 right now. It’s been, what, 13 years since I’ve been that weight. So it’s a blessing.”
Rose will not be the starter on this season’s squad as he’s settled in nicely as the sixth man for the Knicks. His health will be very important to the team as he brings steadiness and playmaking off the bench. Having somebody to rely on off the bench is the key to success for many seasons, so this would be huge for the Knicks.
With Brunson entrenched as the starter, Rose has a big role to play as both a player and as a mentor. The team is littered with young talent, and a name like Immanuel Quickley can use all the veteran help he can get.
Quickley has flashed a lot of potential with his playmaking, so he can learn a lot from the former MVP.
Roster Looking Solid
While the Knicks did miss out on trading for Donovan Mitchell, that might have proven to be a blessing in disguise as they were able to hang onto their young talent and plethora of draft picks.
The Knicks haven’t had a bright future like this in a while, and if every one of youngsters take another leap, this could be a playoff team with Brunson and backup center Isaiah Hartenstein in the mix.
Health will be a big factor for the team going forward, and they have to be able to rely on Rose. His presence was greatly missed last season, and fans might’ve forgotten the type of impact he can have on the floor.
Surprisingly enough, the Knicks were almost an entirely different team when the bench played last year. The starters often found themselves in a hole, and the bench was able to bail them out. The addition of Rose has the chance to make them even better, so that will definitely be something fans should pay attention to once the year begins.
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