National Basketball Association

New York Knicks: Derrick Rose Is Here To Help Carmelo Anthony Win

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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When asked about the 2016-17 NBA season, New York Knicks point guard Derrick Rose made it clear that his lone focus is to help Carmelo Anthony win.

No matter what else transpires, the New York Knicks will need Carmelo Anthony to be at his best in 2016-17. The talent level has dramatically improved from a season ago, but talent doesn’t win without the proper preparation and execution.

Starting point guard Derrick Rose has made it clear that his primary goal for the 2016-17 season is to make things easier for Anthony.

Rose has developed the reputation of a ball-dominant point guard who’s of a score-first mentality. If what he’s saying translates to the court, however, Rose will be a more willing facilitator in 2016-17.

According to Al Iannazzone of Newsday, Rose’s only focus is to help Anthony turn the Knicks into a winner again.

“My job is to come here and help him win. This is his team,” Rose said Tuesday afternoon. “In practice [my job is] to push him, be on him when I see that he’s being lazy or something like that and it’s vice versa. He’s going to be on me when he needs to push me. It’s no bad blood. I’m just here to help him win.”

If Rose performs in the manner he’s outlined, then the Knicks should have no trouble reaching the 2017 NBA Playoffs.

Rose is coming off of a season during which he averaged 16.4 points and 4.7 assists in 31.8 minutes per game. That put him at No. 26 in the NBA in assists per game and No. 39 in the Association in assists per 48 minutes.

By the advanced metrics, Rose was No. 25 in the NBA in usage rate and No. 101 in assist ratio.

That combination of numbers just doesn’t compute for a point guard.

Rose doesn’t need to record 10 assists per game, but his ball-dominant approach to the game has hurt his teams in the past. He still had a superstar mentality in 2015-16, but he didn’t have the superstar ability to go with it.

Rose can still be an exceptionally valuable player, but he needs to play a style that’s more conducive to team success.

In 2016-17, Rose’s reformed approach to the game could help him return to All-Star status. More importantly, it could help the Knicks reach the playoffs.