The New York Knicks will continue their road trip in San Francisco. Who are the three players to watch against the Golden State Warriors?
On Wednesday night, the New York Knicks will dive into the second half of a back-to-back against the Western Conference. This time, the opponent is the Golden State Warriors, who own a record of just a half-game better than the Knicks.
These teams will collide at the Chase Center in San Francisco, CA. Who are the players to watch over the next 48 minutes?
D’Angelo Russell
After the Knicks allowed Damian Lillard to scorch them for 28 points, it’s conceivable that another talented point guard will do the same. Enter Golden State’s D’Angelo Russell.
Russell recently returned from an injury but has been quiet, with 14.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game on just 34.1 percent shooting. Perhaps it’s rust after missing nearly three weeks, but for the chance to snap out of it, facing the Knicks could be the trick. Plus, he just took 22 shot attempts against the Memphis Grizzlies and should find just as many.
Eric Paschall
Eric Paschall may not play due to a left hip injury. If he does suit up, the Knicks will be watching the rookie forward in the frontcourt all game.
Warriors are listing Eric Paschall as questionable for tomorrow's game vs Knicks with left hip soreness. He's coming off a rough night vs Memphis. Has carried heavy workload as a rookie. Damion Lee is expected to return.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) December 11, 2019
Drawing Draymond Green comparisons due to his size and frame (6-foot-6, 255 pounds), Paschall produces across the board but scoring has been his best attribute, featuring 16.6 points per game in his 24 appearances on a 52.5 effective field goal percentage.
Julius Randle or Marcus Morris would be the players lined up with Paschall. If either can manage him, maybe the Knicks find their way into a competitive game. If not, the Villanova standout will impact the outcome from all over the court.
RJ Barrett
RJ Barrett‘s drop-off in numbers since the start of November has been too notable at this point. He owns just four games of shooting percentages above 40.0 since Nov. 1, mostly finding his baskets in high volume along the way. Most recently, he’s finished with just one game of 10-plus points in his last four.
The only silver lining: Barrett has made 16 of his last 25 free throws, which is an improvement on the 51 percent prior to this stretch.
Barrett needs that one breakout game to move in the right direction. Against a horrible defensive team in Golden State, it’s as big of a chance as he’s had yet.