Is Derrick Rose Still Playing in the NBA?
At this time a decade ago, Derrick Rose was making the Chicago Bulls very proud of their investment.
Rose, the No. 1 overall pick in 2008, quickly became one of the NBA’s top rising stars and won an MVP Award with the Chicago Bulls. However, various knee injuries derailed Rose’s career, and he eventually became a shell of his old self.
Nearly a full 10 years since Rose captured the MVP Award, is the former All-Star still active in the NBA?
Derrick Rose appeared bound for stardom
Originally from Chicago, Derrick Rose quickly became the hometown hero when he joined the Chicago Bulls in 2008.
Rose won Rookie of the Year and averaged 16.8 points on 47.5% shooting, 3.9 rebounds, and 6.3 assists in 81 games to start his career. He earned All-Star honors for the first time in his second season, averaging 20.8 points and six assists per night.
Then came Rose’s MVP season in 2010-11, when he beat out LeBron James — in his first year on the Miami Heat — and led the Chicago Bulls to the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. The 22-year-old Rose averaged 25 points, 4.1 rebounds, 7.7 assists, and a steal.
Rose signed a five-year contract worth $94.8 million in December 2011, a move that the Chicago Bulls later regretted.
Rose, who played only 39 of 66 games in the lockout-shortened 2011-12 campaign, tore his ACL in the first round of the playoffs. Despite a belief that Rose would play the next season, he missed the whole year while rehabbing.
Rose revived his career in Minnesota
Derrick Rose’s torn ACL marked the beginning of the end of his prime and the Chicago Bulls’ championship window.
Rose tore his knee meniscus in November 2013, ending his season prematurely. Although he averaged 17 points and 4.8 assists over the next two seasons, it was clear Rose’s explosiveness had left him.
Rose had a turmoil-filled 2016-17 season alongside Carmelo Anthony on the New York Knicks, and even went AWOL at one point. He split the 2017-18 season between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Minnesota Timberwolves, averaging 8.4 points in 25 games and seven starts.
Rose returned to Minnesota in 2018, and everything suddenly clicked. Now holding a sixth man role, Rose averaged 18 points on 48.2% shooting — his highest since 2009-10 — and 4.3 assists in 51 games and 13 starts.
Rose even scored a career-high 50 points on Oct. 31, 2018, in a victory over Rudy Gobert and the Utah Jazz. Ankle and elbow injuries cut Rose’s season short, but he appeared to have regained his rhythm as a shooter.
Is Derrick Rose still active in the NBA?
Derrick Rose spent the 2019-20, pandemic-affected season with the Detroit Pistons.
After signing a two-year, $15 million deal with the Pistons, Rose averaged 18.1 points — his most since before he tore his ACL — and shot 49% from the field in 50 games and 15 starts.
Rose had seven consecutive 20+ point games in the middle of the season.
The veteran point guard, who turned 32 in October, is still on the Pistons’ roster. It is not yet known if Rose will open this season as a starter or continue to come off the bench.
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