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New York Knicks: 3 massive mistakes by ESPN’s top 100 player Rankings

By Allen Settle

NY Knicks, RJ Barrett (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
NY Knicks, RJ Barrett (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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RJ Barrett, New York Knicks. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

#1) New York Knicks: Where is RJ Barrett?!

This final gripe is less obvious than a miss-ranking. If you’re not paying attention, it’s easy to miss. You’re scrolling through the list wondering about your favorite Knicks played that are represented. Then it hits you… WHERE IS RJ BARRETT?!

The answer shockingly, is that his name is nowhere to be found in the Top 100 rankings. This means a panel of NBA experts at “the worldwide leader in sports” agreed that the Knicks’ #2 option does not deserve a spot among the league’s best.

It’s a startling omission. Especially when one considers the following rankings:

  • Normal Powell at #100,
  • A streaky Will Barton at #97,
  • Rookie Jalen Green at #96,
  • One-dimensional Kevin Huerter at #95.
  • An oft-injured Mitchell Robinson at #93 (no offense to Mich-Rob, but Knicks’ fans all realize he is not as important to New York’s success then Barrett),
  • A one-dimensional sharpshooter in Duncan Robinson at #92,
  • A Miles Bridges at #87 that can record highlight dunks and seldom else,
  • Devonte’ Graham and his one good season at #86,
  • A quiet Tim Hardaway Jr at #79,
  • A one-dimensional sharpshooter in Joe Harris at #75,
  • And Spencer Dinwiddie coming off a major injury at #68.

I could go on. But I’ll pause here.

Can some of these players stake a claim as better than RJ Barrett? Yes, I believe so. Can all of them? This is where I call foul!

Can any player listed above match Barrett’s combination of prospect pedigree, on-court success, team success, and future value? Houston Rockets’ rookie Jalen Green has the potential. Miami Heat sniper Duncan Robinson has the on-court production without the prospect pedigree.

At the end of the day, Barrett certainly deserves a spot on this list. Clearly. One could even argue that he deserves to be the #2 Knick on the list. This would jettison him into the top 70.

Thankfully, the full New York Knicks squad will get the chance to prove their value as the franchise looks to build off their successful 2020-2021 campaign.

What Knicks-related changes would you make to ESPN’s Top 100 list? 

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