NY Knicks: Two Superstar Comparisons for RJ Barrett
By Max Hoover
There have been plenty of articles trying to compare NY Knicks‘ sophomore RJ Barrett to his peers across the league, both from his own draft class and more established stars.
But I’m wondering, “Are there players that RJ Barrett should be modeling his game after?”
Are there players who have come before him who have been successful in a way that RJ Barrett could easily replicate?
Who would you compare the NY Knicks’ young star, RJ Barrett, to?
Listen, there’s nothing wrong with a cover song. Some cover songs are even better than the original.
“Respect” by Aretha Franklin? Cover song. Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You”? Cover song. You can’t do this list without talking about Joe Cocker’s cover of “With A Little Help From My Friends.” (Wonder Years fans, stand up! Where the Paul Pfeiffer hive at?)
This goes beyond just songs. Hunter S. Thompson learned to write by typing The Great Gatsby over and over again on a typewriter before penning Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
Basketball isn’t immune either. What is Lebron James if not just a better cover of Magic Johnson?
If I’m being honest, even this very concept is a cover to some degree. The Athletic‘s Mike Vorkunov, Knicks Film School‘s Jonathan Macri, and The Ringer‘s Dan Devine–three writers I really admire–have done varied versions of the same premise: Who is RJ Barrett currently, and who can he become?
It makes sense for basketball minds to spend a ton of time researching and writing about RJ Barrett.
At 20 years of age, he’s an incredibly fascinating player because as Devine wrote, RJ Barrett is “younger than 29 members of the current rookie class.”
With so many years of basketball still ahead of him, now is a great time to really decide who he wants to try to be as an offensive and defensive player.