New York Knicks: Derrick Rose Urges Teammates Not To Be Complacent
The New York Knicks may be 11-9, but Derrick Rose isn’t satisfied with their early success. He’s urging his teammates to avoid complacency.
The New York Knicks have been one of the most confusing teams of the 2016-17 NBA regular season. Every step forward has been met by a step backwards, which resulted in the Knicks struggling to reach .500.
New York has gone 8-3 over the past 11 games, however, and is now 11-9 on the season—reason to feel optimistic and fear complacency.
One of the driving forces behind the Knicks’ success in 2016-17 has been starting point guard Derrick Rose. His ability to consistently create penetration has enabled Jeff Hornacek to run a motion offense that depends quite heavily on the ability to collapse an opposing defense.
Following the Knicks’ 106-98 victory over the Sacramento Kings, Rose made it clear that he’s not satisfied with early success—and his teammates shouldn’t be, either.
.@drose not content with the #Knicks recent success & the power of sharing the backcourt with @brandonjennings. #NYKvsSAC pic.twitter.com/gP2TfLycdx
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) December 5, 2016
For those who can’t watch the video, Rose said the following.
“Can’t be content with where we’re at. That’s my first time hearing that [we’re 8-3 over the past three weeks] and we’re just trying to get better every game. Still have goals that we want to achieve. Still trying to be the best team that we can become. But once again, it takes time.”
11-9 is a nice place to be after 20 games, but there are still 62 games to be played and progress to be made.
New York may be 11-9, but it’s still 2-6 on the road and one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA. It’s improved in both regards over the past few weeks, but the overall level of play needs to improve away from Madison Square Garden.
For perspective, the Knicks are allowing 103.6 points per home game and 110.8 points per road game in 2016-17.
The offense is beginning to flourish, but becoming less of a turnstile defensively will go a long way towards achieving legitimate success.
The Knicks have had the luxury of playing 12 of their first 20 games at home. The road to the postseason will only become more difficult as the Knicks play more games away from Madison Square Garden.
New York will need to get its act together soon with six of its next seven games being played on the road.
Rose is doing his part with averages of 17.0 points and 4.9 assists on 45.5 percent shooting, but he knows how much room the Knicks have for improvement.
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