Derrick Rose has talked about the physical improvements he’s made while rehabbing his injured knee after tearing his ACL last year, saying he feels stronger, quicker and faster. It’s hard to believe, considering those primary attributes were the trademark that helped him win MVP in 2011 while leading the Bulls to the Eastern Conference Finals the same year.
But Rose says there was another improvement he made over the past 17-months, which also seems rather astonishing.
"I think I jump higher," Rose said after the Bulls defeated the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night. “I think coming into the league I was at 37 [inches] and they tested my vertical at AP [Athletes Performance in Los Angeles where Rose trained during the offseason], I'm probably at like a 42 [inches], so I'm jumping a little bit higher."
A little bit? Five inches is a lot more than just a little bit.
It’s hard to imagine that such a gifted athlete can make such broad physical improvements, and once D. Rose shakes the rust off his game, the rest of the NBA had better watch out.
