Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau is thrilled with the way Derrick Rose is performing in practice, saying that the former Most Valuable Player is slowly regaining his confidence.
Thibodeau told reporters on Saturday that Rose, who is coming off a second major knee surgery, had his best practice so far after performing well in their 5-on-5 drills.
"I think for Derrick today was probably his best day thus far," Thibodeau said via ESPN. "There was a lot of 5-on-5 and stuff like that. We scrimmaged a little bit more so I think that was good for him. We played one-on-one type stuff. It was good and he's got to get used to that again."
Rose played in just 10 games last season after sustaining a torn meniscus in his right knee just as when he is slowly regaining his confidence back after missing the entire 2012-13 NBA season due to a torn ACL in his left knee.
Rose, who averaged 15.9 points to go along with 4.3 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game before going down with his second major knee injury, recently helped Team USA win the gold medal in the 2014 FIBA World Cup last month.
But while the 26-year-old guard has already experienced playing in actual games this offseason, Thibodeau said that Rose is still getting used to taking contacts, which makes the defensive-minded coach believe that letting Rose play in the World Cup was a good decision for the team.
"That's why the USA Basketball stuff was so important for him -- to get used to having contact," Thibodeau said. "The more he does it the better it is for him, the more you're starting to see the rust come off. Now you're starting to see him make some of the plays that he's capable of making, and he's starting to get a little bit of a rhythm."
The Bulls, who failed to make the second round of the playoffs last season after losing to the Washington Wizards in the opening round, is hoping that Rose will have another great year similar to the season after his previous stint with Team USA.
Rose led USA to a gold-medal finish in the 2010 World Basketball Championship in Turkey, following it up with an MVP-season for the Bulls.
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