NY Knicks: Defending different segments of the fan base

NY Knicks: Defending the RJ Barrett Defenders — Jeremy Goldstein

Going into this season, RJ Barrett was expected to be one of the main forces propelling the Knicks to a top seed in the Eastern Conference. With New York currently fighting to stay in play-in tournament position currently, many people are quick to point fingers at Barrett as the reason for the lack of success.

While there are many reasons why the team hasn’t lived up to standards I would consider it unfair to say RJ is any of the reasons why.

Without Barrett in the lineup, the Knicks are 2-4 and both of those wins are against the Pistons and Rockets who both have the least amount of wins in their respective conferences.

Something else worth noting is that RJ is essentially 2nd on the team in defensive rating, less than a full point behind Evan Fournier for the team lead. In a season where we’ve seen a recession in team defense, Barrett has taken steps forward in that department.

Finally, for those of you who want to complain about offense, RJ has been red hot since leaving COVID protocol. The Duke product is averaging 25.7 points per game shooting 52% from the field in his last three contests, including a 32 point performance in his last game against the Indiana Pacers.

I understand that the Knicks aren’t having the season we wanted them to have, but it must be acknowledged that RJ Barrett is far from the problem, and will be one of the key players giving New York a boost in the standings.