After one day at training camp for the USA men’s basketball team, Derrick Rose looks to be back to form.
Rose missed the majority of the last two NBA seasons due to two separate knee injuries. First, he tore his ACL in the 2012 NBA Playoffs, which forced him to miss the entire 2013 season. Then, 10 games into the 2013-14 season, he tore his meniscus, causing him to be sidelined for the remainder of the year, according to ESPN.
Rose, who is trying out to be on the USA national team for the FIBA World Cup in September, showed shines of brilliance during the first day of training camp as he appears to be over his knee injuries.
In one drill, he came off a screen from Anthony Davis to throw down a monstrous two-handed dunk. During a scrimmage, he fell to the floor after getting hit on a drive through the lane and got back to his feet with ease, reports Vavel.
“My confidence level is through the roof,” Rose said.
Rose, the top pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, was the 2011 NBA MVP. He was a member of the 2010 USA Basketball team for the World Championships.
“I was ecstatic about watching him today,” Coach Mike Krzyzewski told reporters. “He’s better than four years ago. Four years ago, he was 21, and he was just on the verge of becoming who he was going to be. But he had a great practice today.”