National Basketball Association

New York Knicks: Jeff Hornacek Praises Derrick Rose's Explosiveness

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

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New York Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek echoed the sentiment of starting shooting guard Courtney Lee: Derrick Rose is explosive again.

Derrick Rose may only have one year remaining on his contract, but the New York Knicks are investing far more than a season in his services. Making or missing the playoffs will dictate the trajectory of the Phil Jackson era and regime.

The good news for Jackson and the Knicks is that Rose’s one season in New York, high stakes as it is, could be explosive.

Rose has lost much of the vertical explosiveness that made him such an exciting player to watch with the Chicago Bulls. His speed and agility are still overwhelming, however, and his new coach is seeing it firsthand.

According to Ian Begley of ESPN New York, Hornacek was impressed with Rose’s overall level of explosiveness.

“I think he’s getting he’s legs back. Just watching him last year when we played them, it didn’t look like he was as explosive as maybe he is now,” the coach said Wednesday.

It’s hard not to be optimistic when multiple members of the Knicks make those type of comments.

Courtney Lee recently stated that, athletically, Rose is looking like the player who won MVP in 2010-11. It’s been a long five years since he won the award, with multiple knee procedures and an abundance of games missed.

With a fully healthy offseason, however, Rose appears to be finding his form again.

Rose began to look the part of a star on the returning rise during the second half of the 2015-16 season. He averaged 17.4 points on a slash line of .468/.375/.784 after the 2016 All-Star Break.

Clearly, those aren’t full season averages. Nevertheless, it’s worth noting that only two point guards averaged at least 17.0 points on 45.0 percent shooting or better in 2015-16.

Those three players: Stephen Curry, Chris Paul, and Russell Westbrook.

Perhaps Rose shouldn’t be overlooked, after all.