Head coach Tyronn Lue on Monday afternoon revealed that offseason addition Derrick Rose will be leading the second unit as the primary ball handler despite being in the starting lineup.
The former All-Star guard brought more clarity to his role with the Cavaliers on Tuesday morning by laying out some of the responsibilities it will entail, according to Nikki Goel of ClutchPoints.
“He wants me to push the ball. I was telling coach Phil Handy yesterday that I need a play set or what play sets that they think we should run while I was with the second unit. He was honest with me. He told me to play pick-and-roll because you got J.R. and Calderon on the floor. You can run floppy sets and a lot of other sets to (like) pin downs and all that. Pick-and-roll opens up everything with that second unit. First unit I will facilitate more and push the pace of the game a little more, but with some much talent on the floor, it’s kind of hard to do me. So with the second unit things will open up more and I will be able to have the ball in my hands more.”
There is a clear game plan with Rose directing the second unit as he will have more freedom to impact the game with his scoring ability while working primarily through the pick-and-roll. His ability to get to the basket off the dribble could open up plenty of opportunities for his teammates to get decent looks from the outside, which the Cavaliers have made a major part of the offense.
This could be where he proves to be most effective, especially when Isaiah Thomas returns from his hip injury at some point near January. Rose has proven throughout his career that he’s an efficient scorer when he’s getting to the rim and can playmake from that aspect of his game.
If he’s able to excel in that role, it could help drastically improve the Cavaliers’ chances of finally breaking through in what could be a fourth straight NBA Finals matchup against the Golden State Warriors.