Detroit Pistons 2019-2020 player grade: Derrick Rose
The former NBA MVP returned to his former days of glory intermittently throughout the duration of the 2019-2020 season for the Detroit Pistons.
The signing of Derrick Rose in the summer of 2019 felt like an acquisition that would move the needle for the Detroit Pistons. Coming off a playoff season, he provided stability in the backcourt that fans felt would provide a bigger impact than Ish Smith had the year before.
In that single regard, they weren’t wrong. Rose proved to be much more reliable than any other conceivable option at the time.
Unfortunately, we never got a real feel for what his impact could have been on this Pistons team. Decimated by injuries, they were forced to finally go into rebuild mode once the trade deadline arrived.
Also. Spencer Dinwiddie jokes about return to the Pistons. light
Rose could have had the chance to be moved, but instead asked to stay put in Detroit. The opportunity to continue to thrive and play his best basketball in years was more appealing than maybe fitting in with a contending team.
Before the season was suspended, he was averaging 18.1 points and 5.6 assists on 49.0 percent shooting. His highest point total since 2011-2012, the season following his MVP run.
His ‘Per 36’ numbers were actually better than they were in his MVP season. To be fair, he also played nearly 2000 more minutes then but still, the fact is that fans hadn’t seen Rose preform this well in a considerably long time.
The Pistons needed a consistent form of offense this year, and they found it with Rose.