Speaking on behalf of almost every NY Knicks fan, it is very exciting looking forwards to how much RJ Barrett has improved since last year.
The 21-year-old showed incredible improvement from a decent rookie season, most notably in his evolution into a 40% three-point shooter, and he looks to make another jump in his third year in the league.
NY Knicks: What’s up next for RJ Barrett?
With that in mind, certain areas would be especially nice to see Barrett focus on this year.
All young players set goals when they are in the NBA, and as fans, we set our own goals for these same players. Some of these will be higher than others, but there should be at least one goal to set a lot higher with Barrett’s serious potential.
Barrett, who is known to have an insanely strong work ethic, lived next to famous shooting trainer Drew Hanlen over the summer in Florida as the two worked out together twice a day.
When you go as far as living right next to your trainer to work out with him as much as humanly possible, this is a player who wants to and believes he will become a top NBA player.
RJ himself said he was upset that he did not make the all-rookie first team. He stated that it “bothered him a lot.” Barrett improved to becoming the second-leading scorer on a top 4 team in the Eastern Conference, which I never get tired of mentioning.
When you are a young player, especially when you’re in a big market, the fans always look at what’s next for them.
Typically around the third or fourth season, the fans will start to get hungry to see an all-star appearance or watch as the player receives some sort of recognition.
Barrett is entering his third season in the league with Knicks fans asking all these kinds of questions as they hope to see development as Barrett takes the next step up in his career.
I am one of those fans, and with Barrett being my favorite Knick, this is something I think about over 10 times a day, and here are the three goals that RJ Barrett should have going into the 2021-22 NBA season.
NY Knicks — Goal #2: Improving his right hand
One of Barrett’s biggest criticisms is that he is reluctant going to his right on offense. Barrett is a lefty who refuses to use his right hand, even on right-handed layups.
What makes this especially strange is that Barrett is actually right-handed at basically everything else he does. If this sounds familiar, LeBron James is the opposite, using his left hand for everything but is right-handed in basketball.
Safe to say, with the above information, this is something that Barrett can work around.
Barrett is yet to use his right hand, though. He will always drive left, given a choice, and that can become entirely predictable.
This is a fairly common problem with players, as Julius Randle is another player who does not like to go to his right side at all.
The fact that the Knicks’ two best players each wildly prefer the left side of the court needs to be fixed. Since Barrett is one of those people who is probably somewhat ambidextrous off the court, this should be very fixable on the court.
Barrett will see the left lane open up a lot more for him if he shows the ability to go to his right side, as the defenses won’t know ahead of time which direction Barrett plans on going.
NY Knicks — Goal #2: RJ Barrett averages 20+ PPG
Ok, so we’re taking a step forward here with a goal a little more difficult to achieve.
I would honestly expect Barrett to somewhat easily pass the 20 point per game mark if the Knicks starting 5 still included Elfrid Payton and Reggie Bullock. However, with Barrett now sharing the court with newcomers Evan Fournier and Kemba Walker, it could be a little more difficult.
Recently when discussing the vegas odds for Barrett to win the NBA Most Improved Player, DailyKnicks editor Adam Kester mentioned that there are more mouths to feed on offense this year than last, which is absolutely correct.
Kemba Walker is a score-first player, and though Tom Thibodeau likes pass-first point guards, Walker is just not that. Fournier is also coming off of averaging 17 points per game.
Barrett will probably not see as many opportunities, though I do firmly believe he is a better player than both Walker and Fournier. He will also probably see a weaker defense with the increase in offense talent on the roster.
Barrett can totally average 20 or more points per game, but he could see another season close to 18 points before he takes that next scoring jump. However, he should go in as the second option for the Knicks, which will also be the only way he can achieve this next goal.
NY Knicks — Goal #3: Be Top 10 in East All-Star Voting
There is a strong chance RJ Barrett has a breakout year and ends up having an all-star year. That chance is also doubtful, but it is possible.
I recently tagged Barrett as one of three players who could see their roles change next season, hoping RJ would increase his role on the offensive end.
I acknowledged that Barrett could see a slight decrease in usage, making this more difficult, but the Knicks’ increase in offensive talent could help RJ get the spacing he needs to get more open looks.
Last season the NY Knicks had two non-shooters in the starting lineup between Elfrid Payton and Mitchell Robinson/Nerlens Noel.
If Barrett can play efficient basketball averaging around 22 points and 6 rebounds while the Knicks continue to succeed, he will be in the All-Star Game conversation.
It would also help his case if he could take another step up defensively. Barrett will now be the lead defender against the best wing on opposing teams night in and night out now that Reggie Bullock is a Maverick.
Though it would still probably be a long shot, it is a goal for Barrett to start shooting early, as players are expected to develop earlier than 10-15 years ago. RJ’s college roommate Zion Williamson is a pretty solid example of that, playing only 53 career games before getting selected as an NBA All-Star.
With Barrett as the not definite second option on the Knicks, it would be surprising to see him make the all-star game this season, but I hope he gets close enough so I can complain that he was snubbed.