The Definitive New York Knicks Roster Breakdown: The Backcourt
By Adam Kester
New York Knicks Backcourt: RJ Barrett
According to Cleaning The Glass, RJ Barrett played 97% of his minutes at small forward last season, with Reggie Bullock playing 85% of his minutes at shooting guard.
Really, I don’t think these distinctions of shooting guard and small forward matter all too much — they’re both secondary perimeter players with similar responsibilities.
What We Know:Â
Barrett is coming off of a breakout sophomore season. There was a dramatic shift with the Knicks from Barrett’s rookie season to his 2nd year. From what was described as a “rudderless roster” with no hope in sight in his rookie season, to suddenly being a part of a playoff team with significant depth, Barrett finds himself in a prominent role on a really solid team.
Barrett’s high draft pick pedigree has given him the expectation of becoming a franchise-caliber player.
He’s going to log heavy minutes and continue to be an important piece of the puzzle, just as he was last season.
Will we see RJ Barrett take another leap this season?
What To Expect
It may be hard for Barrett to take significant statistical jumps. New additions Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier are going to be focal points of the team’s offense.
That doesn’t mean he can’t take major strides in his game.
Even with the new additions, I have a strong hunch that RJ Barrett is going to be Tom Thibodeau’s go-to guy.
That doesn’t mean the go-to scorer. That means the guy who plays 40+ minutes when needed, the guy who will guard elite players, the guy who needs to do the little things and do everything they can to help the team win — that’s the guy RJ Barrett can be for Tom Thibodeau.
The next steps for Barrett on offense revolve around his capability as a ball-handler. Can he consistently create his own shot, break down defenders, and create offense for his teammates?
I do believe we will get to see Barrett have more creation opportunities, but the thing to remember now is that there really isn’t that much pressure for him to do so.
He has excelled as a shooter coming off of screens and running curls around the perimeter. The starting lineup has other creators in the lineup alongside him, so Barrett can really thrive in this “complementary player who can step up when needed” role.
Where Barrett has an opportunity to showcase his biggest next step is on defense. This New York Knicks team doesn’t have an established NBA player who is “known” for being a defender.
It may not matter on most nights and for their season-long defensive output. This is still a Tom Thibodeau team, the personnel doesn’t matter, they will be a good defensive team. However, on some nights, especially in the playoffs, having a shutdown perimeter defender can win you a game, and there is some hope that RJ Barrett can develop into exactly that — a defensive stopper.