Chicago Bulls' Derrick Rose Needs to Be Closer Again, Hasn't Been as Bad as Everyone Thinks

I know, the numbers aren't pretty shooting-wise from Derrick Rose in the first 5-6 weeks of the 2015-16 NBA season. Two games in a row now, the Chicago Bulls have lost games that they had control of at one point or another during the fourth quarter. There are at least a handful of reasons as to why they lost those games, but the easiest one to fix is this: Rose needs to be the closer once again for this team, and he hasn't been as bad as everyone thinks.

Now let me qualify, first, why I believe he hasn't been as bad by saying that he hasn't been good. Maybe not the most intelligent statement I've ever written, but hear me out.

Yes, his shooting percentages have been abysmal. However, out of the 18 games they've played so far, I've watched about half. And Rose's shot selection has actually been excellent this year. While they haven't been falling, he's been getting to the basket and taking -- for the most part -- smart shots.

Let us not forget that the eye injury and mask have played a factor without question, as he's never shot this low of a percentage in his life. As recent as a couple of weeks ago, he said that the vision still wasn't perfect, and that surely has played a role in his touch and precision. After all, just look at a handful of months ago during the postseason where he averaged over 19 a game and shot nearly 35 percent from the three-point line, and he was taking five a game. That's impressive. Then the eye injury happened, and he's had a regression there.