You may notice something unusual today at your local newsstand: A Chicago Bulls player gracing the cover of Sports Illustrated. Derrick Rose is the first to be so honored since Michael Jordan in January of 1999.

A photo of Rose driving to the basket against the Los Angeles Lakers illustrates a story entitled “Small Ball,” about the advent of quick, athletic point guards.

“It used to be your smarts would get you through, but now it’s strictly talent and athleticism — if you’ve got that, you can play in this league,” veteran point guard Andre Miller says. “In college you’re forced to think, you’re taught how to play basketball. Get to the NBA, and you can just come in and run with your head cut off, and that’s what makes the league. When I came in, you couldn’t just run and jump all over the place. You were going to get hit eventually, or somebody was.”

Of Rose, author Ian Thomsen writes:

“Rose is the new face of this imposing generation. With his consistency from the three-point line this season, defenders must now close out on his jump shots, which in turn opens up a frightening array of options. Rose can either power in and pull up, or slash between defenders like a skier slaloming at Kitzbühel, bursting through the lane and either finishing at the basket or creating open shots for forwards Carlos Boozer and Luol Deng. Rose’s humble point guard instincts make him especially dangerous because he is so clearly interested in propelling the team more than building up his own stat line. His dazzling skills have transformed Chicago and made him a threat as dangerous (almost) as the young Michael Jordan a quarter century ago.”

Of course, Rose still has a ways to go to match Jordan in terms of SI cover appearances: MJ has been featured a record 57 times.

Meanwhile, enjoy this video of Rose’s reverse dunk Tuesday against the Knicks: