Derrick Rose scored a career high 50 points in a breakout game for the Timberwolves on Wednesday night to help his team earn a 128-125 win over the Jazz. It was a “vintage” D-Rose night, as the former MVP showed a side of his former self as a player for the first time in seven years.
Derrick Rose’s 50-point game is a product of the NBA’s offensive surge
The former MVP put together a performance he never matched when he was healthy, which says a lot about how the game has changed.
Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Rose made 19 of the 31 shots he took, including 4-of-7 from three-point range and 8-of-11 from the free throw line. He was uncharacteristically efficient and successful in the mid-range, off-the-dribble, and especially around the rim. His athleticism and burst to the hoop had been lacking since his MVP season, before a torn ACL and a pair of meniscus tears over the years zapped his quickness.
Here are the highlights from his big night:
Afterwards, teammates showered Rose with praise. He was emotional in a postgame interview, saying, “I did this for the franchise, organization, the fans, everybody.”
Several of Rose’s peers recognized his performance.
“He gives his mind and body just to play one game. When you talk about perseverance, that’s the true definition of it. The youngest MVP to ever play, to have battles with injuries and to be able to come back. Derrick Rose showed why he’s still a superhero.”
On Nov. 16, the woman who accused Rose and his friends of rape in a 2016 civil trial will have an appeal hearing. During the trial, an eight-person jury found the men not liable due to a lack of physical evidence.
Rose’s night shows that the NBA’s offense really is booming
At 30, Rose became the oldest former MVP in NBA history to score his first 50-point game, which was an especially noteworthy feat because multiple knee injuries have cut short a majority of his playing career. Rose was never supposed to have a night like this again, and it’s no coincidence that the performance came at a time when teams are hitting their offensive peak.
The league is averaging four more possessions per game than it did a season ago and nine more than in Rose’s MVP year. Chances are that a healthy Rose would have scored 50 several times back then had the game been played this fast.
It’s not just the pace that’s changing in the NBA, it’s that teams are also getting smarter with their possessions, too. The league is cutting down on mid-range shots and increasing looks from deep and from the perimeter. While Rose took a lot of mid-range shots in this game, he was also really good at getting to the basket, driving 34 times, the most in two seasons.
Rose’s game was a product of the NBA’s offensive metamorphosis.
Jimmy Butler sat this game out, making the Timberbulls more confusing
Reports claimed that Butler was sitting out of Wednesday night’s game as part of a silent protest to be traded, a wish he made clear to the Wolves front office before the season started. He refuted that claim, saying he had body soreness, but that’s beside the point.
This game was supposed to be Karl Anthony-Towns’ or Andrew Wiggins’, but here the bizarre Wolves are watching a 50-point Rose night. Minnesota stays weird, not knowing what it wants or how it’ll get there, chugging along all the same.
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