Rose continuing training program throughout the off-season.
Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau says star point guard Derrick Rose is now showing signs of being back to his best as he continues to work hard in the off-season.
Rose missed the entire season last year following a torn ACL in the playoff campaign the year before, and watched on as the Bulls were defeated in the Eastern Conference semi-finals by the Miami Heat.
His lay-off was well documented, with criticism increasing the further the season progressed as the 24-year-old was medically cleared to return to the court in mid-February.
Nevertheless, he stated on numerous occasions that he wasn’t mentally ready to make the same moves he was capable of performing prior to the injury, and would take as long as it took to fully recover.
However, Thibodeau provided some welcome news on Thursday, stating that Rose is looking much sharper in practice, as the “Windy City Assassin” continues to work hard ahead of next season.
“I worked him out about a week ago,” Thibodeau said in a phone conversation Thursday according to ESPN. “It was great.”
“Watching the way he’s moving now, there’s a confidence.
“[Reporters] may not have been able to see the total work he was putting in. But he was putting in an enormous amount of work each and every day. He just never got to the explosiveness he was comfortable with. I think he’s there now. He feels great, and that’s the most important thing.”
Much of the frustration surrounding Rose was the mystery over when he would eventually return, with dates touted as potential comeback games coming and going during the course of the postseason.
However, Thibodeau and the Bulls organisation remained supportive of their star asset, and refused to rush him back into action before he felt he was ready to return.
Much will be expected of Rose in the new season, and with Thibodeau suggesting he is regaining the kind of movement that made him one of the most explosive point guards in the league, he looks set to progress in his rehabilitation throughout the summer.
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