Knicks: 3 things RJ Barrett must improve this season

Knicks’ RJ Barrett: Finding his spots on the court

RJ Barrett is averaging an impressive 17 points per game in his 2nd season, and his continued growth as a scorer will depend on his ability to find his favorite spots on the court.

43% from the field is an improvement from his rookie year, but it’s still not very efficient.

I’ll emphasize that the lack of efficiency isn’t all Barrett’s fault and that the Knicks still have some fundamental team issues with floor spacing, but there are things he can do on his own to make his impact more efficient.

We know Barrett isn’t a sniper but he does have some spots on the floor where he looks more comfortable shooting from a longer range. Looking at Barrett’s shot chart, we can see that he naturally likes to go to his left.

He also shoots that in-between, 5-10 foot pullup from the left side of the court pretty efficiently compared to other areas on the floor. It’s a shot we’ve seen Barrett take a decent amount, where he pulls back from a drive and opts for a baby jump shot.

Just from watching Barrett play, I always feel more confident when he takes a short-range jumper instead of opting for a floater – something he struggles at executing.

Players’ have their signature shots — The Chris Paul mid-range pullup, the Carmelo Anthony jab-step mid-range, the Immanuel Quickley floater. Barrett doesn’t need to necessarily have a “signature move”, but he needs to be assertive in doing what is more comfortable for him on the court.

Barrett has made some significant progress as a player this season, but there is still so much room to grow. This isn’t talking about a young player getting better down the line in their career, this isn’t a discussion about “Unlocking Mitchell Robinson” and how he can maybe shoot threes and handle the ball.

This is about how RJ Barrett already seems so close to reaching another level, but there are these unrealized little nuances of the game that could actually make him a borderline All-Star. Knicks fans should be excited about RJ Barrett and the player he could become going forward.