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

Can RJ Barrett power the New York Knicks offense?

The main topic of conversation this offseason has focused on whom the New York Knicks should acquire to run their offense: Chris Paul, Mike Conley Jr., or Fred VanVleet. While there are differing opinions on that choice, one thing everyone agrees on is the importance of developing the young players already on the roster, specifically RJ Barrett.

As I mention in the my last article, ‘How the Knicks can build a championship roster‘, the Knicks need R.J. to develop into a borderline all-star while he is still on his rookie scale contract. After a so-so rookie campaign, expectations for Barrett’s second season are going to be ratcheted up. The good thing is that R.J. is built for the challenge. His own expectations are higher than anyone else’s.

But the question remains, if the Knicks don’t acquire any of the names mentioned above, will Barrett be able to lead the team? Speaking honestly, it doesn’t appear so. It’s a lot to ask a 20-year-old to be the ‘engine‘ of the  team’s offense. But if there is someone that you don’t want to bet against, it’s Barrett. He has been proving the doubters wrong every step along his basketball journey.

The main critique of R.J. is that he doesn’t possess the athletic ability necessary to be a star and that he is best suited to be a secondary player. While that is fair criticism when you consider who have been the game’s best players, it doesn’t mean it’s not possible. There have been current and past players that weren’t great athletes that have led their teams to success. Let’s examine a few.

RJ Barrett Comparables

English Lesson

If the following question was asked in Jeopardy, ‘This NBA player scored the most points in the 1980s?’, the answer might surprise you. It’s not Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Isiah Thomas, Moses Malone, Dominique Wilkins or Michael Jordan. The correct answer is ‘ Who is Alex English?”

Most NBA fans have probably never heard the name, but Alex English aka The Blade scored over 21,000 points, averaged 25.9 ppg and shot 51% from the field in the 1980s. During that time, he made the Western conference All-Star team eight times.

The reason he isn’t more well known is because his game wasn’t flashy. He was a skinny player that wasn’t fast, couldn’t jump high or shoot 3s. What he was good at was scoring on contested mid-range shots. Despite his athletic limitations, he was the leading scorer on one of the best offenses of the 1980s. Alex English’s Nuggets teams were also competitive, as they were in the playoffs for nine straight seasons in the decade.

The Truth

A more recent example of a leading scorer that was not a great athlete is Paul Pierce. While Pierce was a much better outside shooter than Barrett currently is, he did rely on a lot craftiness to get his points inside the arc. Pierce was quiet deft at finding slivers of open space on the floor to get his shots off. Pierce played 19 seasons in the NBA, averaged 19.7 ppg, had a Win Share value of 150. Most notably, he was a franchise player on a championship team.

Current NBA Player Comparisons

Even in the evolved NBA where athletes are bigger, stronger and more skilled than ever before, there are still some great players in this era that are not uber-athletic.

R.J. is often referred to as a less athletic version of James Harden, who is not considered an athletically gifted player. Then there is Luka Doncic, who is one of the best players in the NBA, but isn’t explosive off the dribble or a great outside shooter. A less glamorous comparison is DeMar DeRozan. He has been the best player on several playoff teams and managed to score the 7th most points in the  decade of the 2010s. What these players have in common is that they can play through contact because of great skill and body control.

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.