Knicks: 3 things RJ Barrett must improve this season
By Adam Kester
Knicks’ RJ Barrett: Finishing above the rim
Quite frankly, this area of Barrett’s game is perplexing. Barrett doesn’t have the most explosive first step, but he is exceptionally strong for his age. Barrett has no problem absorbing contact and staying balanced.
Barrett can consistently keep his balance when driving from the perimeter all the way into the paint. He always looks controlled when he gets to the rim. It’s what he does once he gets there that’s the problem.
While Barrett’s drives to the rim will look calculated, they frequently turn into chaos by the time he’s under the basket. He can do everything right and still blow the layup. Keep in mind, most of this article was written before last night’s game, and now we have an infamous layup to really showcase the issue.
Per Cleaning The Glass, Barrett is in the 86th percentile when it comes to the number of shot attempts at the rim he’s taking, but he shoots 57% at the rim, which is only in the 41st percentile.
It’s an improvement from last year when Barrett was just in the 22nd percentile of finishing at the rim, but it’s still not where we know he can be. How many times are we going to say “Nice move, he just didn’t finish” when watching Barrett?
Barrett doesn’t always go up strong. He loves to finish with a scoop layup, which is fine, but oftentimes it feels forced. Barrett has a nice array of footwork, but his layup package leaves much to be desired.
In spite of his length, Barrett frequently finds himself finishing under the rim. He may not have elite hops, but we know how strong he is. He has both the size and strength to go up at the rim to effectively challenge bigs.
The shot against Jimmy Butler last night was the perfect example: He drove to the basket with force, but the layup attempt, for whatever reason, was fading away from the basket. He needs to go up and take on the contact because he’s strong enough to absorb it. To say that the layup was just “Good defense by Butler” is a cop-out. Good defense gets beaten by better offense.
Improving his finishing is something that can be gained from trial and error, but Barrett can learn a lot from watching other players. In fact, newly acquired Knicks Derrick Rose may be able to help Barrett expand and improve his finishing at the rim.