NY Knicks: Player grades for scorching hot month of April

NY Knicks: RJ Barrett is heading for stardom

It’s not just a “hot streak”, RJ Barrett can shoot, folks. The confidence in this young man is off the charts. It seems like everytime he goes up for a catch-and-shoot 3 I’m confident it’s going in.

RJ Barrett’s shooting splits in April:

• 18.1 points per game
• 46.6% FG%
• 48.2% 3pFG%
• 80.0% FT%

It’s pretty jaw-dropping to see those percentages but this is just who RJ Barrett is becoming. He’s doing it the most RJ Barrett-like fashion possible: Not flashy, under-the-radar, quietly getting buckets while everyone sleeps. He put up those long-range shooting numbers on 5.7 attempts per game.

I’d still love for RJ Barrett to get more playmaking opportunities – I still feel like there’s a lot of room to grow there. In some similar ways to Obi Toppin, Barrett is playing with a lot more “gusto” (Shouts out Clyde Frazier). He’s going up strong at the rim, hitting mid-range pullups, and knocking down 3s. He’s a 3-level scorer.

NY Knicks: Julius Randle has been elite

The fearless leader. The king of New York. Julius Randle is on a warpath.

He’s been tearing up the league all year but it’s been a different tier of domination in April. Randle rebraided his hair and unlocked an even higher level of his game. A whopping 27.1 points, 9.0 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game in the month of April – He’s been centerpiece of this 11-4 month.

I truly believe Randle is a lock for All-NBA second team and has a decent shot at the first team. On a recent episode of The Athletic NBA Show Marcus Thompson said he was voting Randle for 1st team All-NBA. Bill Simmons mentioned it as well.

In a COVID-crazy season where Julius Randle has played almost every game, transformed the way he’s played, and completely turned around an organization playing the toughest market in the country – He deserves the love.

Sure, Randle is still prone to some bad shot selection or not keeping the ball moving at certain stretches of the game. We just have no clue where the NY Knicks would be without him. It wouldn’t be 4th in the East, that’s for sure.

Julius Randle has taken on the colossal task of carrying the New York Knicks and he’s done it flawlessly. He’s been flat-out one of the best players in the NBA and you know he’s hungry to keep it going in May.