In 2008, a young point guard in the University of Memphis program took college basketball by storm. Wearing the number 23 — no doubt in homage to Michael Jordan — this Chicago native played only one season with the Tigers, but he was arguably the top freshman in the country. He guided Memphis to the national championship game before entering the NBA Draft — where his hometown Bulls selected him with the first pick.
That point guard? Derrick Rose, who just signed a two-year deal with the Grizzlies after the New York Knicks declined his team option. And to reflect this return to the place that put him in the national spotlight, Rose is changing his jersey number for the 2023/24 season.
Rose comes full-circle
Rose was heavily recruited out of high school and ultimately joined John Calipari‘s high-flying Memphis Tigers, who finished with a 38-2 record and came within a few seconds of a championship during the 2007/08 campaign.
Since a string of unlucky injuries after he was named NBA MVP in 2011, Rose reinvented himself as one of the league’s better bench guards and played for several teams after leaving Chicago in 2016. But his path had not led him back to Memphis — until now.
Rose struggled in New York last season, averaging a career-low 5.6 points in 12.5 minutes per game during the regular season. The 34-year-old hopes a change of scenery will bring out his best basketball again.
Grizzlies’ guard combos
Rose joins a talented Memphis team looking to take the next step in its development and become an NBA title contender next year. But their path to a championship will be complicated by Ja Morant‘s 25-game suspension to begin the 2023/24 campaign.
Swingman Desmond Bane — who enjoyed a career year last season and has agreed to a $207 million max contract extension — will be the go-to Grizzly, but the acquisition of Marcus Smart from the Boston Celtics should keep things steady while Morant is unavailable.
Meanwhile, Rose will be counted on to anchor the bench and provide leadership that the young team has been sorely missing.