NY Knicks: 3 reasons NY must avoid temptation and Keep RJ Barrett

RJ Barrett is the ideal fit on the wing for the NY Knicks.

Tom Thibodeau has always been known as a hard-nosed defensive coach that players are motivated to play as if it is a tie game until the last whistle.

During Thibodeau’s coaching days with the Chicago Bulls, he developed Jimmy Butler into the star he is today.

Barrett is extremely similar to Butler not only in size, but play style as well.

They are both oversized shooting guards who can also play small forward and primarily use their size to score inside.

They are efficient from three when asked to shoot but do not take many shots from behind the arc, although Barrett has shown already that he is becoming a far more capable 3-point shooter than Jimmy Butler is today.

RJ Barrett under coach Thibodeau is averaging 33.2 minutes per game. Those are similar minutes played to Jimmy Butler when he played for Coach Thibodeau when he was developing into who he is today.

Tom Thibodeau runs an offense in which he trusts his main guys to play a significant amount of minutes of high-quality basketball.

RJ Barrett being called upon to play as many minutes as he does and carry the responsibility that he does at such a young age really speaks volumes regarding the trust and confidence that earned from the coaching staff.

He never takes any plays off and provides for the team at a high level in all facets of the game and continues to show his importance to the team.

Barrett, given his work ethic, hustle, and ability to defend at a high level, makes him the ideal fit to succeed in Coach Thibodeau’s system and follow in Jimmy Butler’s path to stardom.