Exploring why trading for Derrick Rose doesn’t make a ton of sense for the Philadelphia 76ers
There is an old adage that states don’t fit a square peg into a round hole. Unfortunately, people around the league aren’t following this advice as Detroit Pistons guard Derrick Rose is being viewed as a possible trade target for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Michael Kaskey-Blomain of CBSSports suggested that the team should target Rose because they need a player who can run the offense while the starters are resting. However, one can argue that Derrick Rose doesn’t have the skillset to thrive in the Philadelphia 76ers offense. This is because Derrick’s statistical success in the league has been predicated on how much he has the basketball in his hands.
For example, Rose touched the basketball 75.7 times a game during the 2015-16 season. The 75.7 touches allowed him to amass 13.5 drives per game. The 13.5 drives created 7.2 points and 1.2 assets per game for the team. This accounted for 43.9 percent of his total points and 25.5 percent of his assists as he averaged 16.4 points with 4.7 assists.
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Derrick saw a slight increase in his touches during the following season as he averaged 78.5 per game. This is an increase of 2.8 touches per game from the previous season. The 78.5 touches led to a minuscule increase his drives per game as he averaged 13.8 a game. This was an increase of 0.3 drives per game from the previous season.
The 13.8 drives created 8.5 points and 1.1 assists for the team. This was an increase of 1.3 points and a decrease of 0.1 assists per game from the previous season. The combination of these factors helped him average 18 points with 4.4 assists per game.
It was an increase of 1.6 points and a decrease of 0.3 assists from the prior year.
Derrick experienced a significant reduction in his touches during the 2017-18 season as he averaged 29 per game. Rose touched the ball 49.5 fewer times a game than the previous season. The reduction in his touches led to a significant drop in his drives per game as he went from 13.8 to 5.0.
Rose created 2.9 points and 0.4 assists for the team on these drives. This was a decrease of 5.6 points and 0.7 assists per game. As a consequence of being forced to play off the ball more, Rose’s production saw a sharp decline as he averaged 8.4 points with 1.5 assists per game.
His touches rebounded during the 2018-19 season as he averaged 52.5 per game. This is an increase of 23.5 touches per game from the previous season. The 52.5 touches led to a massive increase in his drives per game as he averaged 12.0 a game. This was an increase of seven drives per game from the previous season.
Rose created 8 points and 1.1 assists for the team on these drives. This was an increase of 5.1 points and 0.7 assists per game from the previous season. The combination of these factors helped him average 18 points with 4.3 assists per game. This was an increase of 9.6 points and 2.8 assists from the prior year.
Unfortunately, Derrick Rose’s time in the role of ball handler would be reduced in Philadelphia as they run a post-up-centric offense. Philadelphia currently leads the league in post-ups as they are averaging 19.4 possessions per game.
A post up in the 76ers’ system requires one player to establish post up position on the mid to low block with at least three of his teammates standing behind the 3-point line in the role of spot-up shooters. The last teammate would either stand in the dunker spot on the other side of the court or behind the 3-point line.
A prime example of this was found midway through the first quarter of a road game against the Orlando Magic when Joel Embiid passed the basketball Ben Simmons who had post position on the left block. Once he received the basketball, his teammates spent the rest of the possession behind the arc as he turned sideways and took a few steps to the right before attempting a hook shot.
The current structure of Philadelphia’s offense would force Rose to stand behind the arc for a significant portion of his minutes. Derrick Rose would struggle off the basketball as he has a career 3-point shooting percentage of 30.6 percent on 2.6 attempts per game.
Derrick’s below-average shooting would compound the offensive problems for the team. For example, if Ben or Joel decide to post up, Rose’s defender can leave him open to provide help defense on whoever is posting up.
Consequently, the post-up player is forced to choose between a contested shot or passing to Rose for a low percentage shot. On the other hand, if the team tries to accentuate Rose’s strength, it means Ben or Joel would be off the ball.
Unfortunately, Joel and Ben are below average shooters they have a career 3-point shooting percentage of 31.6 and 9.1 percent respectively. The below-average shooting will cause the same problems as Rose when he is playing off the ball.
Consequently, if Philadelphia wants to improve their back up point guard spot, they should target Isaiah Thomas of the Washington Wizards as he can approximately Rose’s shot creation; and is better suited to thrive off the basketball.
Thomas has a career 3-point shooting percentage of 36.2 percent on 5.3 attempts. In conclusion, Derrick Rose’s inability to shoot would cause him to be ineffective in Philadelphia.