To Be Great, Derrick Rose Doesn't Need to Be a Pure Point Guard

Derrick Rose is not a traditional point guard, but that's precisely the reason that he has risen to prominence so quickly.

When the Memphis product was drafted first overall in 2008 by his hometown Chicago Bulls, Rose showed intriguing potential in his first full season. However, his shortcomings on the defensive end and inability to possess a perimeter attack greatly limited his ceiling at the time.

In 2009, Rose took another step toward blossoming into his sky-high potential, raising his scoring average a full four points per game, going from 16.8 to 20.8. Although he began to take on an increased offensive role, he saw his assist totals drop and his defensive contributions remained fairly limited.

But 2010 was the campaign when Rose really broke out in a big way for the Bulls. In addition to leading the team to an extraordinarily impressive 62-20 regular season record, Rose became the youngest MVP in league history at just 22 years old.

In contrast to his first two seasons in the league, Rose took a step forward in a handful of areas during 2010-11 that had been perceived as deficiencies in his repertoire.

After working tirelessly on his stroke in the offseason, Rose showed an amazing improvement from behind the three-point line, shooting a respectable 33.3 percent from deep and drained 128 longballs, compared with his previous career-high of 16.

That's not all he did, though. Rose also upped his assist output considerably, finally made himself relevant on the defensive end and raised his free throw percentage a whopping 9.2 percent from the previous season. And for the second consecutive season, Rose improved his scoring average, moving from 20.8 per contest to a stellar 25.0.

Although he took a step back in his overall field goal percentage, that is a direct result of Rose falling in love with his newfound outside game, something that he's almost certain to improve upon before next season.

After consistently improving throughout his first three seasons, it's salivating to imagine what the promising point guard could prove capable of moving forward.

No, he's not a traditional point guard, but who cares? The kid is a flat out stud capable of leading the Chicago franchise to its most prominent days since the Michael Jordan era.

Serving as the primary offensive option for the Bulls and as the leader on a team of full of veterans, the guard's extraordinary ability to command the best from himself is exactly what has made him so successful.

With his star already shining brightly, Rose is a superstar who will only continue to improve as his career marches on.

He doesn't need to be a "pure" facilitator to get the job done from the point position.