Knicks Ex Derrick Rose Could Provide 'Synergy' With Ja Morant

If Derrick Rose's career enjoys a late blooming, there were few better places to be planted than Memphis.

Rose is moving onto the Memphis Grizzlies after spending parts of the last three seasons with the New York Knicks. While Rose had the occasional flash of brilliance in blue and orange, this past year proved that he had no future in New York. It began with Rose as one of the first men off the Knicks' bench but he appeared in just two games in the new calendar year when the game was long decided.

The nostalgics are strong with Rose's return, as he goes back to Memphis after previously making a name for himself with Grind City's Tigers college basketball game. Time will tell how much of an on-court role Rose has in his return, but he's currently poised to back up fellow Atlantic Division newcomer Marcus Smart at point guard.

Dan Devine of Yahoo! Sports believes that Rose could carry a bigger role in the broader perspective of Memphis basketball history: helping stabilize the career of Ja Morant.

“I talked to some people in Memphis media that were like, ‘If there’s somebody that Ja’s gonna maybe like listen to…(its Rose),’” Devine said on the "No Cap Room" podcast. “(He's) somebody who can talk to Ja from the perspective of, ‘I’ve been at the absolute pinnacle, and I’ve had difficult things on and off the court that I’ve had to go through and move forward in my career and my life.’"

"So, maybe ... there’s some synergy there.”

Even with only four seasons under his belt, Morant is arguably the most prolific player in the history of the Grizzlies. He has reached consecutive All-Star Games and was named 2022's Most Improved Player. A series of legal issues, including brandishing firearms on his social media channels, has landed him in hot water with the NBA front office, which recently assessed him a 25-game suspension for the start of next season.

Rose is well-used to adversity in his basketball career: his brief, if not illustrious, collegiate career was marred by invalidated SAT scores which caused Memphis to vacate all 38 wins from the 2007-08 season that ended in the national championship game. His professional career also hasn't been the same since suffering a torn ACL in the 2012 postseason after his MVP campaign the year before. Though he has not retained his MVP form, he has still established himself as a lasting NBA prescience, as next season will be his 15th in the Association.

While Rose won't be relied upon in the box score, there's a good chance he can bring a sense of clarity to an important period on the Memphis basketball timeline. Thanks in part to Morant's efforts, the Grizzlies have won 107 games in the last two seasons, a tally that ranks third-best in the NBA in that span. They have, however, failed to advance to the Western Conference Finals despite earning the second seed on both occasions.

Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Knicks? Click Here.

Follow AllKnicks.com on Twitter.