NY Knicks: The “Win-at-all-costs” mindset of RJ Barrett

The NY Knicks find themselves in a tightly contested Eastern Conference playoff race where every game can make a big difference in standings. Led by Julius Randle and RJ Barrett, the team has been battling to stay in the mix. It’s the time of year where injuries pile up, players have to step into bigger roles, and the wear and tear of an NBA season begins to permeate through the league. There are no excuses.

The NY Knicks have had some opportunities to take down the top dogs of the Eastern Conference but came up agonizingly short every time. The Knicks lost to the 76ers earlier in the week in a game where many fans, and players, felt cheated. The team lost in overtime – with just over 5 seconds left, Julius Randle was charged with a phantom off-ball foul, gifting the 76ers two free throws to take the lead and ultimately win the game. Many of us were rightfully upset with the outcome.

RJ Barrett’s reaction? “I just want to win. Referees or no referees, we got to win the game.’’

NY Knicks News: RJ Barrett’s Winning Mentality

Barrett has always been a promising prospect, but it was hard to project his future after a rookie season where he was playing on one of the worst teams in the NBA. While his growth as a player has been evident since the start of his sophomore season, it’s his recent play that’s seen him start to cement himself as one of the game’s top young players.

We can get into Barrett’s improved shooting and other statistical areas of his game, but let’s focus on some of the mental components of RJ Barrett’s game. He carries himself with a swagger that not many 20-year-olds-have – He’s a silent assassin.

RJ Barrett only cares about one thing: Winning the game. He doesn’t care if he drops 10 or 25 points, he’s going to find a way to make a difference and positively impact his team. It’s a special quality to have in a young player, especially one who is one of the centerpieces of your roster. Let’s take a look at some of the ways Barrett has influenced the NY Knicks’ success this season.

NY Knicks: RJ Barrett has been a lockdown defender

RJ Barrett struggled defensively in his rookie year. A lot of rookies do. In his second NBA season, Barrett has made some key adjustments to his technique that have flipped his narrative from a defensive liability to a versatile perimeter defender.

Barrett always had the physical tools to project as a good perimeter defender, but he’s now applying those tools with maximum effectiveness. Barrett’s defense, like a lot of his attributes, is not flashy. You won’t see RJ Barrett with many chase-down blocks or anything that makes the highlight reel, but make no mistake, his defense has a prominent impact on the game.

It’s rare for RJ Barrett to miss a rotation on defense, and his strength allows him to both overpower guards and hang with big-men as he does in the clip above. It’s beautiful to see someone like Barrett, a highly touted prospect since high school, godson of Steve Nash, a star at Duke, be so team-oriented, humble, and committed to team defense. It embodies the team-first attitude Thibodeau and the coaching staff has instilled.

RJ Barrett doesn’t need to be a jumpy risk-taker on defense. Frankly, he doesn’t have the best recovery speed to do so, and he knows that. Instead, he’s maximizing his strengths: He sinks into the paint, daring ball-handlers to drive and challenge his strength, while he uses his long wingspan to effectively contest jump shots.

Barrett is holding his opponents to a 42.4% field goal percentage, 2.2% lower than their average. He frequently guards the opponent’s best wing players. He’s been deployed as a key cog of Tom Thibodeau’s defense. He’s committed to winning basketball on both defense and offense.

NY Knicks: The game is slowing down for RJ Barrett

RJ Barrett has taken a lot of the responsibilities on a NY Knicks offense where he is very much the “Robin” to Julius Randle’s “Batman”. The Knicks’ lack of playmaking from the point guard position has led the team to frequently rely on Julius Randle and RJ Barrett as facilitators. One of the common criticisms of Barrett coming out of college was his “Tunnel Vision“, but he’s made some big strides in being able to look for teammates. It’s not easy for slashers to come into the league and immediately be playmakers in the NBA.

Take NY Knicks’ wing Reggie Bullock as an example. Bullock is a fine shooter, but when he has to dribble the ball and create something on his own, he’ll look completely lost. It’s not easy to process multiple reads at once if you haven’t been playing a lot of point guard, and not many wings can consider playmaking to one of their stronger attributes. RJ Barrett is getting there.

It’s not just the improved playmaking – Barrett’s all-around shot selection has improved the team’s offensive output. I don’t want to dive too much into Barrett’s shooting, but one of the reasons for his statistical improvement is that he’s simply taking smarter shots.

On top of expanding his layup package and finishing at the rim, Barrett is taking smart jump shots. He’s taking what the defense is giving him. Most of his threes come off catch-and-shoots. His mid-range shots are coming from driving-turnarounds and free-throw line pull-ups. These are shots he knows he comfortable with, and he hasn’t been forcing himself into uncomfortable situations.

Much like his defense, Barrett is rapidly learning what works and what doesn’t for him on offense in the NBA. He’s maximizing his strengths and minimizing his weaknesses, and it bodes incredibly well for his potential down the line.

NY Knicks: RJ Barrett is already a leader

We can continue to rave about RJ Barrett’s recent performances on the court. His increased field goal percentage, three-point percentage, free-throw percentages, passing – His statistical output has been more than what anyone could have asked for. There are plenty of bright young players in the NBA, but not all of them have the mindset of RJ Barrett.

Barrett’s commitment to doing the extra work – Battling in the trenches, rotating on defense, playing within Thibodeau’s system – It’s helped the Knicks grow as a team and accelerate their rebuild. No matter how talented you are, you can’t teach that kind of team-first/win-at-all-costs mentality that Barrett has.

You may think every star player has an impact in every area of the game, but it isn’t always the case. There are plenty of high-level scorers who are a net-negative in other areas of the game. They may score 30 points, but they can blow defensive assignments. They may statistically seem like a positive player, but they aren’t effectively committing to the aspects of basketball that lead to wins, the things that don’t show up in the box score. You don’t have to worry about that with Barrett.

So while basketball fans and analysts can be impressed with RJ Barrett’s statistical jump and the Knicks’ success, they can also be awed by his dedication to his craft. RJ Barrett is everything the city of New York could want in a homegrown star. In Rowan Alexander Barrett Jr. we trust.