The Knicks absolutely need to start Derrick Rose in Game 3

It’s really a cosmetic label at this point, but there’s no doubt Derrick Rose should be in the starting lineup for the New York Knicks in Game 3 against the Hawks.

The New York Knicks evened their first-round series with a 101-92 victory over the Atlanta Hawks Wednesday night, led by 26 points from Derrick Rose. The Sixth Man of the Year finalist went 9-for-21 from the floor and 2-for-3 from 3-point range as the Knicks rallied from a 13-point halftime deficit.

Rose started three of the 35 regular-season games he played for the Knicks this year after being acquired from the Pistons, averaging 14.9 points per game while playing just under 27 minutes a contest. So his reunion with Tom Thibodeau worked out pretty well.

Thibodeau certainly favors his core rotation of players, as five of the 10 Knicks who played in Game 2 played at least 30 minutes. Three of those didn’t start the game, as the right mix was found, including Rose playing a team-high 39 minutes.

Derrick Rose should absolutely be starting for the Knicks

Elfrid Payton started all 63 regular-season games he played this year, and that has continued in the first two games against Atlanta. But he has totaled 13 minutes in the first two games of the series, including just five minutes on Wednesday night. By comparison, Rose has played a little more than 38  minutes per game over the first two games against the Hawks.

Thibodeau certainly values what Payton can offer on the defensive end, but that has become a flimsy argument to keep starting him. Starting him mostly seems ceremonious, if the positive tone that word even fits. Ceremony and Tom Thibodeau don’t exactly align. He trusts who he trusts, and those guys play.

Rose is clearly in Thibodeau’s circle of trust, as they are on their third franchise together. The former league MVP is playing heavy minutes anyway. So he should be in the starting lineup for Game 3 Friday night against the Hawks and for every game the rest of the series.