Chicago Bulls: What's Been the Biggest Surprise of the NBA Season Thus Far?

The Chicago Bulls have surprised many people in many different areas this year.

Luol Deng has come back better and healthier, the bench has been a huge surprise, and there have been many other unexpected things.

However, the obvious surprise that is impossible to ignore is the incredible ascent of Derrick Rose. 

When Derrick Rose was drafted, the Bulls weren't quite sure what we were getting. Critics looked at his poor jump shot and lackluster defense and weren't sure what to take from it. Many people thought that fellow draft pick Michael Beasley was a more finished product and fit better within the team that was already constructed. 

Derrick has proved to everyone that you have to draft for talent, not fit.

This season, Rose has improved his shooting, scoring, ability to draw fouls, passing, leadership and defense.

Let's take a look at his incredible improvement. 

In just pure scoring terms, Rose has raised his average from 20.8 points per game last year all the way up to 25.0 points per game this season, increasing his output by over 20 percent.

He is also changing the way he beats you. Last year, Rose would be completely dependent on getting to the basket; now, he's improved his jumper as well. Rose has 112 of his 144 three-point makes in his career this season, showing an improved jump shot.

Of course, he still CAN get to the basket.

Rose has also improved at getting to the free throw line, especially as of late. This season he is getting to the line 6.7 times per game compared to 4.3 per game last year. He is taking advantage of these opportunities, improving his free throw percentage almost 10 percent from last year.

One of the most underrated improvements to Rose's game is his newfound passing ability. After averaging six the last two years, Rose has spiked to just under eight this year, good enough to be top-10 in the NBA. He also recently set a career high with 17 assists against the Bucks in a come-from-behind victory.

Rose's defense is one of the the things that has improved a lot. Unfortunately, it's very difficult to explain this using stats, but I'll give it a try.

Rose averages over a steal per game and is third in the league at blocks per game among guards. The guys ahead of him are Dwyane Wade, who is an established defender, and Wesley Johnson, who is 6'7".

As well, there is a statistic called Point Per Possession allowed. This great website, called www.mysynergysports.com, keeps a tab on every player in the league.

What they do is literally watch every play of every game and keep track of stats that no one else does. Points allowed per possession is one of these stats. It literally averages how many points the man Rose is guarding scores, and how many possessions Rose guarded someone who took up a possession. 

As a reference point, Rajon Rondo has a PPP rating of 0.79. Rose on the the other hand has a PPP of .76, tied with Ronnie Brewer for 24th overall in the league. I'm not saying that Rose is a better defender than Rondo or that he's the 24th best defender in the league, because he may or may not be.

However, you can't be a bad defender and have a good rating. Last year, Derrick was a bad defender. I don't have numbers from last year, but I can at least use the eye test.

This year, he obviously is not a bad defender.

Perhaps the most important improvement is his leadership. He is the leader of the basketball team with perhaps the best chemistry in the entire league. Rose has learned to not be afraid to chastise teammates for doing things wrong, but incredibly is open to receiving criticism from anyone from Michael Jordan to Brian Scalabrine.

Someone that can be that supportive while being that open to improvement is a once-in-a-generation superstar.

While there have been many surprises, almost all of them pleasant, the incredible ascent of Derrick Rose easily takes the cake.