NY Knicks: 3 things we’ve learned from team workouts so far

2) RJ Barrett looks great

RJ Barrett’s rookie season wasn’t terrible, but it could have been a lot better had the Steve Mills-led front office put more complementary pieces around him. The former Duke star was surrounded by the worst spacing in the NBA last season. Of course, he didn’t help his cause with his own shooting woes.

After finishing 8th in Rookie of the Year voting and missing both All-Rookie teams, there is plenty of motivation for Barrett to prove he belongs among the top young players from the 2019 draft class. We are watching what Tyler Herro is doing in Miami. It’s amazing how playing for a winning team can catapult a player into a position to succeed.

While pictures have leaked on social media to give fans a hint of his added muscle, people working closely with Barrett say he is “ripped” after spending most of the break training out of his home in Orlando.

Barrett has been getting extra attention from new associate head coach and development guru Johnnie Bryant during the team workouts. This comes as promising news to Knicks fans who have been learning about Bryant’s influence on star players such as Damian Lillard and Donovan Mitchell.

Besides building a roster with poor spacing, Steve Mills also failed to invest in development coaches to help his young players grow into the pro game, something that is clearly a point of emphasis under Leon Rose.

Thibodeau indicated on Friday that he expects more coaches to join his staff. SNY has reported that the Knicks will add several development coaches beyond the assistants already hired. This should all be beneficial to RJ Barrett, who already appears to be getting stronger.