Derrick Rose and Kristaps Porzingis are already building some on-court chemistry.
The duo worked out together in Los Angeles while Porzingis was there for the ESPYs, along with some other New York Knicks players, including Brandon Jennings. Rose, apparently, is digging the dynamic he has with the Orange and Blue’s sophomore sensation, according to his offseason trainer, Rob McClanaghan, per the New York Post‘s Marc Berman:
“Everyone really came together,’’ McClanaghan told The Post in a phone interview from L.A. “All have a similar mindset — let’s just win here and do whatever it takes and sacrifice.
“The workout was high-energy, guys having fun, talking a lot of trash — even me. Derrick loved being on the court with Porzingis.’’
Theoretically, the Knicks’ offense should work. Carmelo Anthony, Courtney Lee and Porzingis can spot up around Rose’s drives. Anthony, Porzingis and Joakim Noah, meanwhile, can all run the pick-and-roll with Rose.
But the Knicks need to see if they can carve out enough space for their offense to reach its intended ceiling. Porzingis’ infinite range makes Noah’s iffy jumper almost irrelevant, but Derrick Rose isn’t a shooter himself. He and Noah could end up clogging the paint, limiting both their high-percentage scoring opportunities, plus Anthony’s and Porzingis’ abilities to operate inside the arc.
Still, if Rose becomes more of a pass-first point guard, the Knicks offense should be fine. Rose did struggle to finish around the rim last season, and his passing percentage on drives was pretty bad, according to NBA.com, but defenses still collapse on him. He just needs to ensure he’s using that to the advantage of those around him—most notably Anthony and Porzingis.
