2. Another Reliable Isolation Threat

When the game slows down in the playoffs, it’s important to have a variety of players that can defeat their man in isolation and win the matchup with consistency. Having this at the point guard position is crucial, in particular.

With some teams having plenty of impactful on-ball defenders, having different positions to attack from is advantageous. Right now, the Los Angeles Lakers really only have LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and sometimes Kyle Kuzma that accomplish that.

Rose has been one of the most efficient isolation threats in the whole NBA this season. He has an output of 1.196 PPP (94th percentile) in this area, which trails only Eric Bledsoe among all 53 players with at least 50 possessions.

Having a player like Rose that is so impactful in isolation coming off the bench with another solid threat in Kuzma would provide the Lakers with a genuinely layered attack. There are very few backup point guards that can even hope to check Rose and he could help in late-game situations.