Getty Derrick Rose of the New York Knicks dribbles during the second half against the Philadelphia 76ers.
After their surprising 2020-21 campaign where they netted a 41-31 record, finished as the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference standings, and snapped an eight-year-long playoff drought, the New York Knicks plummeted right back down to mediocrity in their follow-up campaign in 2021-22, finishing with their 17th losing season and missed out on the postseason for the 16th time since the turn of the century.
Now, after a full summer of tweaking and retooling their rotation, the ball club heads into 2022-23 with the hope of once again competing for a playoff spot come year’s end.
With guys like RJ Barrett, Julius Randle, and highly touted free agency acquisition Jalen Brunson serving as New York’s headliners, it’s evident that this team’s roster is one filled with quite a diverse and impressive group of talents.
And while the sports statistics company StatMuse recently tried to highlight the Knicks’ current core rotation and discuss what their win total could wind up being, when doing so they wound up forgetting to mention one of the most popular and beloved members of the organization in veteran point guard, Derrick Rose.
How many wins for this squad?
Jalen Brunson
Evan Fournier
RJ Barrett
Julius Randle
Mitchell Robinson
Bench:
Immanuel Quickly
Quentin Grimes
Obi Toppin
Isaiah Hartenstein
Cam Reddish
Naturally, this sparked outrage from the Knicks’ fanbase, with one individual speculating that the point guard’s name was left out simply for the post to draw attention.
@statmuse When you realize they left Derrick out on purpose for comments
Others went on to drop clips, gifs, and comments of sheer disdain for Rose’s omission.
@statmuse Derrick Rose exists
@statmuse I guess we’re just gonna forget Derrick Rose exists huh?
Rose Has Had a Big Impact on Randle
Derrick Rose went down with an ankle injury in mid-December of last season which ultimately kept him sidelined for the remainder of the 2021-22 campaign.
Without him in the fold, New York saw incredibly inconsistent production coming from their backcourt which, as a result, played a major role in the lackluster turnout for the team as a whole, but especially for starting power forward Julius Randle.
In games where both Rose and Randle suited up for the Knicks in 2021-22, Randle produced like his All-Star self, putting up 20.4 points, 9.6 rebounds and 5.3 assists on 36% shooting from distance.
However, without the veteran guard his effectiveness diminished quite considerably, as the big man posted 19.9 points, 10.1 rebounds and 5.0 assists on 39.9% shooting from the field and 27.6% shooting from deep.
Derrick Rose’s impact on Randle’s productivity is not just a trend seen last season, as this has been a theme throughout their entire tenure together with the Knicks, as the big man boasts stellar averages of 23.4 points, 9.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists on 39% shooting from deep in 60 total regular season games playing alongside the former league MVP.
RJ Barrett Praises Brunson
As stated, when Rose went down for the season after only playing 26 games, the Knicks saw incredibly inconsistent play coming from their backcourt, specifically their point guard spot.
As a way to bolster the game’s most important position, Leon Rose and company jumped into action this offseason and signed arguably the top point guard option available on the free agent market in Jalen Brunson.
The signing was widely viewed as a positive move for the franchise, as the belief is that the 26-year-old will bring much needed stability from a scoring, facilitating, and ball-handling standpoint.
And while many have been vocal about their excitement over the signing, Knicks’ rising star wing RJ Barrett recently praised his newest teammate at a team event on September 12, highlighting his work ethic and leadership as being two of his most notable qualities.
“Jalen’s great,” Barrett said. “A really hard worker. He works on his game a lot. He has a natural leadership ability too. Being around him, I’ve gotten to gravitate toward him. When we’re together, we’ll play well, especially with us both lefties.”