Derrick Rose: 5 Things He Can Learn from LeBron James and Dwyane Wade
After the bitter end, it's hard to remember at times how great of a season the Bulls really had. Not only that, but we need to remember the best player on the floor is a mere 22 years old. Being 22, there are many things that Derrick can do to mold his game to become one of the all-time greats in the long term.
Two players who Derrick could learn from are two of the players he just went out against: LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. Both are comparable players who have learned savvy tricks to make the game that much easier for themselves, and both have aspects of their game that Rose could learn from.
Here are five.
Drive at Defenders
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At times, Derrick Rose actually tries TOO hard to make shots. You see that he is so agile, he is able to swerve around contact, he is strong and he is able to finish through touch fouls.
While this makes for an aesthetically pleasing and honestly better game, that's not how the NBA works. You see with Dwyane Wade and LeBron James that they will go right at their defender and react, creating countless touch fouls.
While you don't want him to become reliant on questionable calls, it's an easy way to increase points, field goal percentage and limit fatigue since they don't need to
While Derrick actually gets physically fouled more than Bron or Wade, the fact that they go right at defenders contributes for them each getting 100 or more free-throw attempts more than Rose this season, despite playing less games. Wade and Bron shot 8.6 and 8.4 free-throw attempts per game compared to Rose's shooting 6.9 per game.
Pick Your Spots
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At times, Derrick Rose actually plays too hard all the time. You see that at the end of games during the Miami Heat series. Derrick was just too tired to be able to win the game single-handedly.
LeBron and Wade don't always play at 100 percent, but this is actually an advantage. While Derrick expends so much energy when he's on the court, Bron and Wade will take plays off so that they're fresh when they're needed the most.
In some ways, you can't play Derrick Rose over 40 minutes because he'll play as hard as he can at all times on the court, and perhaps Thibodeau should take him out to make sure he gets plays off. At the same time, Rose can easily defer to his teammates more early in the game so he'll be fresh later.
Get Your Teammates Involved Early
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You notice that Derrick Rose takes a ton of shots in the first quarter to try to get warmed up. While it's important to get Derrick warm, it's actually more important to get the team around him warm.
LeBron especially is one of the better players in the league at moving the ball around to get other players into a rhythm since he feels that he's hot the second he steps on the court. While this hurts him early in games, it helps him later because his teammates can step up and hit big shots too.
LeBron and Rose are also players who get to the basket at will, which means they don't necessarily need to be as hot as other players. If a player like Kyle Korver was in rhythm at the end of the game, it makes things that much easier for Rose.
Use Free Throws Instead of Field Goals to Warm Up
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Like mentioned in two earlier slides, Derrick should do things to get to the line more. What this does also is it gets his arms warmed up so he can hit his shots. This is much more effective than using field goal attempts because you have time and you're not taking away from your teammates.
LeBron and Wade don't need to be so focused on shooting early in games because they know they can get going with a trip to the line. You saw this to be true also of Chris Bosh in the 34-point game he had in Game 3. He got to the line I believe six times very early in the game, and it got his midrange game going.
If Derrick can shoot free throws rather than low percentage jumpers, it can help to get the team going while also getting him going.
Make Clutch Plays on Offense and Defense
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Derrick throughout the season was an excellent offensive player as well as a much-improved defensive player.
While he is a great defensive player, he again needs to pick his spots better. When the game is on the line, he needs to be a player who can make a big play on defense as well as offense.
It's not a huge issue but you saw that when LeBron was able to take Derrick at the end of games, it put that much more pressure on him.
About the Author
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Shehan Jeyarajah is a Bleacher Report Featured Columnist for the Chicago Bulls.
You can also find his work in the new publication: Chicago Sports Authority: The Mag. Act now to receive a free trial issue of The Mag, only good through the end of May. Find us here and subscribe here.
Follow him on Twitter @ twitter.com/shehanjeyarajah for article releases, contact and commentary.
