Name: Derrick Rose
Born: October 4, 1988
Birthplace: Chicago, IL
Team: University of Memphis Tigers
Jersey Number: 23
Position: Point Guard
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 205 lbs.
Class: Freshman
Nicknames: Pooh, The Great Poohdini
High School: Simeon High School in Chicago, IL
2007-08 Statistics - 36 Games
- Points Per Game: 14.1
- Rebounds Per Game: 4.3
- Assists Per Game: 4.5
- 3-Pointers: 33-for-94; 35.1%
- FG%/FT%: 46.9%/68.4%
- Steals/Blocks Per Game: 1.2/0.4
Strengths
Rose is as athletic and quick as they come at the point guard position. Add his excellent court vision, ability to create shots for others, a quick crossover, and you have a model pass-first point guard.
However, Rose is more than able to score himself as he is able to get to the rim, even cramming it home on a defender if necessary. Rose has the ability to finish despite contact, possessing excellent body control.
Mentally, he's as cool as they come. He rarely shows emotion on the court and plays within himself, although he has zero problems in handling and shooting the rock during crunch time. Rose also plays lockdown defense thanks to his length and quickness.
He has excellent size, strength, and a agility for a point guard and should be able to take advantage against other lead guards, whether it's outmuscling smaller point guards or outquicking bigger ones. You'll hear this a lot about Rose - "athletic."
Weaknesses
He isn't as vocal a leader as you might expect from your leader on the court. However, that doesn't stop him from leading by example on the court. Let's remember, the kid isn't even 20 years old yet!
As smooth as Rose is on the court, his shooting style isn't just yet. However, as a freshman at Memphis, his shooting percentage is more than acceptable. But, for the most part, Rose is a streaky shooter. The reason this gets overlooked is the same reason Jason Kidd's shooting gets overlooked - Rose does EVERYTHING else well.
