New York Knicks’ young forward RJ Barrett has received a lot of praise for his defense in the opening games of the season.
The 21-year-old Barrett’s evolution year by year has been a testament to the team’s player development. His defense is not the only part of his game that has shown vast improvement so far this season
New York Knicks: RJ Barrett’s finishing ability
On the surface it may seem like Barrett’s offensive development has shown up so far this season.
With the additions of Evan Fournier and Kemba Walker in the starting lineup, there have been more mouths to feed in the offense.
This was a question heading into the season for Barrett — Where in the pecking order would he fall? So far, it’s been 4th option, for the most part.
I don’t believe that there is a clear-cut “2nd option” in this starting unit behind Julius Randle. We saw Evan Fournier come out hot, but in the last two games, Kemba Walker has stepped up to the plate. RJ Barrett finished with 20 points in the team’s last game against the Chicago Bulls.
The biggest leap Barrett made last year was his shooting and that has carried over into this year. Barrett is a knockdown spot-up shooter from 3, and he will be utilized a lot as an off-ball shooter.
It’s his finishing ability that has looked much improved.
AND-OOONE pic.twitter.com/BbIngQKWPW
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) October 29, 2021
From Cleaning The Glass, RJ Barrett is shooting 68% at the rim and 45% on short mid-range shots, which rank in the 63rd and 67th percentile of players who play the same position.
In his first two years, Barrett shot just 54% and 55% at the rim, which was in the 23rd percentile of players at his position.
I’ve written about this before — getting to the rim has never been Barrett’s problem. From his player profile, he should be a great finisher. He’s legitimately one of the strongest wings in the NBA and has a long wingspan that is a nightmare to contain when going to the rack.
We saw early in his career that he just did not have a strong layup package. He didn’t have the finesse around the rim or strategic planning for how he was going to finish. We saw him make strides last season and now it’s looking like a full step forward in his development.
Right-hand finishes, euro-steps, a little hook shot — Barrett is learning how to finish at the rack and maximize his physical tools. It’s been very noticeable.
It’s an important step for Barrett, who is continuing to grow into a 3-level scorer.
Remember, everyone evolves differently. There have been so many instant-star rookies in the NBA in recent years that it puts a lot of pressure on high-draft picks to be stars right away.
This is how you develop players. You don’t need to thrust them into 35 minutes per game and just assume they’ll grow. You need to surround them with a positive culture and give them resources, and that’s what the New York Knicks are doing with RJ Barrett.
He may be a secondary option in this New York Knicks offense but he’s well on his way. We are still an entire multi-year 2nd contract away from the very beginning of RJ Barrett’s prime.