New York Knicks: Can R.J. Barrett become the engine of the offense?

Put some respect on R.J.’s name

Even though RJ Barrett has received tons of accolades since he was in high school, he is still underestimated. Last offseason no one was talking about Barrett until it became abundantly clear that everyone at the top of the Knicks’ wish list was not coming to New York. All the speculation was about Kevin Durant (pre-injury), Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, Zion Williamson and Ja Morant.

Barrett was viewed merely as a consolation prize, especially by Steve Mills. Scott Perry reportedly had to talk Mills out of trading back in the draft. After striking out in free agency, the Knicks preferred to build the offense around veteran role players whose style of play didn’t complement their young lottery picks. Barrett’s rookie season didn’t need to be so difficult, but Mills was worried about saving his job, and didn’t believe Barrett could do that for him. Even the man that drafted him had doubts.

But when you look at what Barrett has accomplished in his young career, it’s quite remarkable. He was rated the best player in his high school class thanks in part to his accomplishments for Team Canada. In 2017, he led an underwhelming U19 Canadian team to a Gold Medal in the FIBA U19 World Cup in Egypt. Barrett was the only pro prospect on a team that beat Team USA, which had several future NBA players. He scored 38 points and pulled down 13 rebounds and dished out 5 assists in the win.

Now when you look back at his rookie season, Barrett had his ups and downs, but he consistently showed he could get to the basket. His free throw attempts was 7.3 per 100 possessions which is slightly higher than the player he most gets compared to in James Harden. ‘The Beard’ averaged 7.1 free throw attempts per 100 possessions in his rookie season.

The biggest critique of Barrett’s game is his outside shooting, which he is working on this offseason with his shooting coach. He is also doing individual workouts with Knicks new development coach Johnnie Bryant. If R.J. can improve his outside shot, that will make him a match up nightmare. What doesn’t get talked about enough is Barrett’s combination of size and skill, or the fact he can play 4 positions on the floor. He can both pound wings in the post and take Bigs off the dribble from the wing.

As you can see above, he overpowered one of the best and strongest defenders in the game, P.J. Tucker to score the go ahead basket in a game against Houston.

So while R.J. might not have the burst you want as the engine of your offense, he does have the power. If there is one young player that can lead the Knicks back to glory, it’s Barrett, the highest draft pick the Knicks have had since they selected Patrick Ewing with the number one overall pick in the 1985 draft.