Philadelphia 76ers: Derrick Rose is exactly what Philly needs

With a desperate need for additional back handling and a dynamic finisher, the Philadelphia 76ers should stash Derrick Rose on their plane back home.

The Philadelphia 76ers are an incomplete team.

Sure, they have a ton of talent across the board, but with a hot and cold bench built around defensive versatility, the team has pretty much had to live or die by the performances of their starting five – a starting five that has only been intact for 12-32(!?) games so far this season.

But what does this player look like? Well, while conventional wisdom would suggest a knockdown outside shooter like J.J. Redick, the team’s issues aren’t quite that simple.

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No, what the Sixers really need is a 6-3-to-6-5 combo guard with a knockdown outside shot, defensive versatility, and an ability to excel both off and on-ball.

Spoiler alert: There are very, very few players in the NBA who fit that bill.

So, outside of procuring a player like 2015 George Hill, 2012 James Harden, or any time Lou Williams, is there a certified sixth-man on the market who could move the needle at the Sixers’ price range.

Sure, there are a few.

Off the top of my head, there are players of varying levels of attractiveness like Allonzo Trier, Tyler Johnson, or maybe one of the Spurs’ young guards (Bryn Forbes or Derrick White), but none of those players provide the veteran experience and effortless scoring the Sixers have sorely lacked since letting Jimmy Butler walk in free agency.

No, if the 76ers want to make a move for a legit difference maker, they need a player with a long history of success in the midst of a career revitalization – maybe the youngest MVP in NBA history?

Despite a few down years from 2016-18, though to be fair, he did play for the Knicks over that stretch, Derrick Rose has been playing some of his best basketball since turning 30 in 2018. Fully recovered from a string of injuries that robbed the 2011 MVP of his explosiveness, burst, and on-court passion, Rose has found a second life as a supporting player – transforming from pre-Rushmore Bill Murray to post-Rushmore Bill Murray, if you will.

However, outside of an occasional Pistons-Sixers game that drums up a little excitement in Rose’s services, fans in the 215 appear ambivalent to the prospects of adding one of China‘s favorite basketball players to the team’s ranks.

I mean, Rose averaged 18 points over 51 games last season while knocking down a career-high 37 percent of his 146 3 point attempts. While his numbers in 2019-20 are a bit less impressive, dipping to 16.5 points on 30ish percent from 3, Rose has still recorded six games where he knocked down two or more 3s, including five on December 12th against the Mavericks.

Need additional proof? Check out either of the Sixers games against the Pistons this season.

In both games, one in October and one in December, Rose has been the Pistons’ top scorer. While the team hasn’t won either contest, that in large part has to do with the general badness of the Pistons, not a lack of pop from Rose.

If given a chance to join Brett Brown‘s rotation, he would instantly become the team’s sixth-best player at bare minimum and could fill a vital role on a championship contender.

You see, when Butler donned the red, white, and blue, he would often shift into a ball-dominant role down the stretch. This allowed the team to play faster, Butler to attack the hoop, and Ben Simmons park it in the dunker spot as a rebounding specialist. Even now at 31, Rose still ranks among the best finishers around the hoop and could replace Al Horford in late-game lineups.

Furthermore, in Minnesota, Rose logged most of his minutes as an off-ball two-guard and could fill a similar role if paired up with Simmons in a bizzaro backcourt pairing.

And best of all, since he’s only making a little over $7 million a year, the Sixers could get a deal done for a few marginal players like Zhaire Smith, Jonah Bolden, and Trey Burke (plus picks of course) without having to surrender Mike Scott.

Talk about a Christmas miracle.

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So, if the Philadelphia 76ers want to park a little star power under their Christmas tree before the new year kicks off, a move for Derrick Rose makes a ton of sense, even if he’s not a 40 percent outside shooter.