It was a tough loss for the New York Knicks last night as they let the 2nd straight winnable game against the Miami Heat slip out of their hands. The game could have been a defining moment in RJ Barrett’s young career, as he had the opportunity to tie the game as the clock expired, but he didn’t convert the layup.
The Knicks have been checking a lot of boxes on fans’ wish lists this season. The team has been competitive and they’ve seen some of their most important players take big steps forward in their development.
RJ Barrett, the team’s most touted prospect, has already shown improvements from his rookie season. The 20-year-old Barrett has increased his points, assists, and rebounds per game while also improving his field goal percentage.
There was a lot of anger among Knicks fans when Barrett didn’t make one of the All-Rookie teams last season — Fans were right to be upset.
Here’s the thing: We all know the glaring flaw that everyone talks about with Barrett – His jump shot. Barrett is shooting just 29% from 3-point range this season, and it’s been a non-stop point of discussion throughout his young NBA career.
The truth of the matter is, Barrett isn’t going to flip some switch and become a knockdown shooter this season. Can he become a good shooter later in his career?
Absolutely, but Barrett’s form as it stands right now is clunky, slow, and hard to execute off of the dribble. Of course, Barrett can get his 3-point percentage up from its’ current 29%. A good goal for this year would be anywhere from 33-35%.
So let’s not focus on the jump-shot for once and let’s look at some of the areas of RJ Barrett’s game where immediate improvement is actually attainable. Barrett has so many exceptional components to his game, and yet even with his strengths, there seems to be a higher level he hasn’t yet hit.