Derrick Rose's Shooting Woes Reach New Depths
By Cody Westerlund--
CHICAGO (CBS) – The question was straightforward. Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg's response left a bit of room for interpretation, for observers to draw their own conclusions.
Given point guard Derrick Rose's shooting woes – the latest iteration a 3-of-17 performance Wednesday night – should he be shooting less?
"Derrick needs to take some good shots," Hoiberg said after Chicago's 99-90 win against Denver at the United Center. "He'd been hitting that bank shot, that runner. He was getting at the basket. We don't want to take away his aggressiveness. He took two threes out of his 17 shots tonight. If he's getting in there, in the paint, we're comfortable with Derrick shooting those shots."
As the Bulls have used a familiar refrain – quality defense, just enough offense and big plays late – to improve to 11-5 and a top-three standing in the Eastern Conference, Rose's shooting struggles have reached new depths. Wednesday wasn't the single worst shooting night of his career, but it was close. It marked the fewest shots he'd ever made in his career when attempting at least 17 shots, according to basketball-reference.com.
That continued a year-long trend, which has seen Rose average 13.3 points on 34.3 percent shooting, on pace to be the worst mark of his career. Rose is shooting 18.8 percent from downtown, also a career-low.
Through it all, Rose has continued to be a high-usage player. His 15.4 shot attempts per game are the highest on a team with more efficient players in the likes of Jimmy Butler and Pau Gasol. His usage rate was 25.6 percent entering Wednesday, several points higher than Butler's 22.6 percent.
To all this, Rose maintains a defiant tone.
"Missing a spot," Rose said of his struggles on his go-to bank shot. "Missing floaters. It's all my shots. I know how much work I put into my game, and I know once I catch my rhythm, it's going to be scary."
Hoiberg offered a simple response in saying he's content with the shots Rose is taking, but the issue is multi-layered, because Rose isn't having success anywhere on the floor.
Of Rose's 17 shots Wednesday, 11 were from 10 feet out or farther. While an open 12-footer can certainly be the right basketball play, the raw numbers speak to the fact that Rose isn't getting to the rim at will by any means.
And when Rose does, his attempts are tougher as he navigates around big bodies and outstretched arms. He's attempting just 2.9 free throws per game and entered Wednesday shooting 35.7 percent from inside eight feet.
"All the shots I took, they were there," Rose said. "They're shots that I would normally take. It's just that I was off a little bit, but my teammates encourage me to take the shots that I take."
It's been well-documented that Rose has been dealing with double vision since a Sept. 29 surgery to repair a fractured left orbital. To what degree that's affected him is anyone's guess.
For his part, Rose emphasized the double vision isn't the trouble.
"It don't have nothing to do with the eye," Rose said. "I'm getting good looks. I'm just missing them."
In addition to the blurred vision factor, the great unknown with Rose, given his long injury history, is whether he has another gear he can play at when the games become more important months down the line. We saw flashes of it in the playoffs last season, but we've rarely even seen a glimpse of that Rose this year.
With bigger implications, does Rose trust his body enough to attack the rim and accept the pounding more? Can he get more consistent lift and separation on his jumpers?
Perhaps the biggest question is this: Can Rose adjust his game to do what's best for the Bulls if he spends half the season or more with this current approach that's yielding lackluster results?
On Wednesday, Rose also had a season-high nine assists. Being a facilitator rather than a finisher or go-to player may be the only way this Bulls team can reach its potential and become an efficient offense.
"We're winning games," Rose said. "That's what it's all about.
"We're winning games, and I didn't even reach my full potential yet."
Cody Westerlund is a sports editor for CBSChicago.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.
