Derrick Rose Has No Regrets Over His Shot Selection
By Cody Westerlund-
CHICAGO (CBS) – Sitting in front of his locker taking questions focused on his shooting for a good 10 minutes, Bulls point guard Derrick Rose admitted this much.
It's nice to have reached a point in which all the queries are basketball-related.
"I'm feeling great," Rose said. "My health is the last thing I'm worried about. As long as we get better as a team, I'm not worried about myself. I know I'm going to come around."
The hot topic Tuesday before and after Chicago's ugly 96-82 loss to Brooklyn that snapped a six-game home winning streak revolved around Rose's shot selection. As he shoots just 26.3 percent from 3-point range – the second-lowest mark of his career and 94th out of the 94 qualified NBA players – Rose continues to hoist the long jumpers at a rapid clip.
He's attempting nearly 5.4 3-pointers per game, the most of his career, and continued the trend Tuesday in shooting 0-of-5 from long range in an abysmal 2-for-15 night.
Amid a season in which Rose's level of play could well determine if the Bulls reach their championship goal, critics have understandably wondered if he's settling too much, being too passive.
For his part, Rose hasn't had the same thoughts.
"All I can do is go out there and play the way I normally play," Rose said. "Right now, I'm just taking whatever they're giving me. They're giving me shots, so I think I can affect the game that way. I just didn't do it yet."
Both Rose and Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau have mentioned that more foes are going under screens recently when Rose runs the pick-and-roll. That explains in part Rose's penchant for hoisting jumpers, and he's remained steadfast in that he won't change his habits.
"If people go under (the screen), I'm going to shoot the ball," said Rose, who shot 5-of-20, including 1-of-7 from long range, in a win at Indiana on Monday. "I think I can shot the ball good enough to make them play honest. I just haven't seen it these last couple games.
"I'm not going to stop shooting. If they go under, I'm going to shoot the shot. I work on it enough. It's just that I haven't seen it go in yet (consistently)."
Thibodeau has largely defended Rose's shot selection, and he said after Tuesday's loss he wanted to review film before rendering judgment.
"The game will tell you how it's going," Thibodeau said in his pregame media session. "Oftentimes, it's coming out of the post. It's coming from people going under on the pick-and-roll.
"There's going to be some bumps."
While some will call for Rose to attack the hoop more after seeing his numbers of late, it's worth noting that Rose's mid-range game is a crucial element of his game. When he's knocking down those shots, he becomes nearly unguardable, as he was recently in scoring 15 fourth-quarter points against the Raptors. In turn, that opens up passing lanes for a player with brilliant court vision and prevents the defense from packing the paint, giving an already strong Bulls offense the gift of space.
Rose is shooting 41 percent from mid-range this year, but he's only attempted 78 such shots in 22 games heading into Tuesday. A career 30.7 3-point shooter, he's now 31-of-118 from long range.
Yet he emphasized he won't change his ways in a year in which he's firing away from long range like never before.
Only time will tell how troubling or beneficial that ultimately is, but it's not paying off yet.
"I just got to read it a little bit better and make better decisions," Rose said.
"When I start making the shots that I'm taking, it's going to be a real simple game. It's going to be pick your poison."
Cody Westerlund is a sports editor for CBSChicago.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.
