NY Knicks: The Meteoric Rise of RJ Barrett

RJ Barrett of the NY Knicks is one of the strongest guards in the league.

So, about the strength thing – At 6’6″ and 214lbs Barrett is pound for pound one of the strongest players at his position, and it seems as though we are watching him realize this each and every game as he continues to get more comfortable at the NBA level.

His sheer size and strength as a wing create an absolute matchup nightmare for the opposition with his ability to overpower his defender and get to the basket.

But for RJ to really take full effect of his size advantage he must improve his efficiency finishing around the rim – which hasn’t been a strong point.

In his rookie season, Barrett shot 53.4% in the restricted area. To put that into context, for players who took more than 300 restricted area attempts, RJ ranked dead last, per NBA stats. This season, he’s shooting 57.7% in this area – it’s an improvement, but it’s still not great.

So he has work to do here, but he’s undoubtedly got all the tools to make this a focal point of his game and it appears as though he is making strides. As the following stat from Wednesday highlights:

Since that graphic and after playing the Wizards on Thursday night, RJ’s percentage in the restricted area has dipped somewhat to 66.7% per NBA stats – He’s also made the 8th most FG in the league from that area in March.

That’s a helluva stat and quite the improvement on his total season average. Yes, it’s a small sample size, but it’s a trend in the right direction and it might just be the best indication yet of how RJ is learning to use his strength more to his advantage.

For further proof of this developing part of his game, just look at this highlight below from Tuesday’s game vs the Wizards:

• Barrett gets going downhill in transition and uses his sheer strength to power through the foul from Beal and finish for the and 1. He also shows his ambidexterity here as he finishes with his off-hand. It’s glimpses like this that get Knicks fans exciting about his scoring potential in this league.

Here’s another highlight play from the Philadelphia game on Sunday:

• This one really demonstrates how strong he is and how it benefits him on both ends of the court. Here, he bodies Dwight who looks to gain post position against him. RJ holds his own just long enough for Noel, who recognizes Simmons isn’t a threat to shoot to drop off and disrupt the post entry pass, resulting in a turnover.
• The turnover creates an opportunity for Barrett on offense. He sizes up Mike Scott on this occasion, drives left, and powers past Scott before finishing off the glass over the outstretched arms of two defenders…More of this please Rowan.

RJ is one strong dude, and at just 20 years old he already possesses the ability to overpower his defender and get to the basket.

If he can clean up his finishing around the rim it adds an almost unstoppable dimension to his game.

Defenders will naturally adjust and continue to make his life harder in the paint, which is where he will need to continue to develop his mid-range game as a change-up.