Amidst what has been a remarkably disappointing and disheartening New York Knicks season, 21-year-old RJ Barrett has been an exciting bright spot.
A polarizing and divisive NBA prospect among talent evaluators, Barrett’s play has been nothing short of outstanding in 2022.
New York Knicks: Where does RJ Barrett currently stack up?
What’s most incredible about where RJ Barrett currently stands is how poorly he started this season.
Barrett had one of the worst months of his young career in November — In 15 games, he averaged just 12.8 points per game on 36.3% from the field and 29.2% from three.
In what has statistically been an up and down NBA career, with his numbers and metrics often offering little insight into reflecting high-end potential, Barrett has done a complete 180 in 2022.
In 19 games in 2022, Barrett has put up fringe All-Star numbers:
- 22.5 points
- 42.5% FG
- 39.5% 3ptFG
- 5.8 rebounds
- 3.3 assists
It’s a string of consistency that spans just about a quarter of an NBA season.
Is this the “RJ Barrett has arrived” moment?
There are some changes and evolutions in his recent game that certainly seem to indicate that there is a budding star on our hands.
New York Knicks: RJ Barrett proving doubters wrong
It’s always felt like a war of attrition between RJ Barrett doubt and RJ Barrett optimism. Back and forth, chunks of evidence providing “truth” to however you predict his NBA career will turn out.
Maybe it’s because he plays for the New York Knicks, but it feels as though Barrett has been put under a microscope more than most prospects his age.
Being a New York Knick is part of those expectations. It’s also his personal story and draft class.
Barrett was the top high school basketball prospect in both his junior and senior years of high school, a very rare feat.
The Canadian showed out in the FIBA U19 world championships where he dominated against Team USA and went on to have a high-profile freshman year at Duke.
Fast-forward to his draft, and there are some players drafted behind him who are also succeeding in the NBA. Players like Tyler Herro, Darius Garland, and Jordan Poole have all had similar, if not a higher level of success thus far in the NBA.
There is little patience for year-to-year development in today’s NBA draft. It feels as though players who come into the league with high-level guard skills that translate into scoring — dribble combos, shooting off the dribble, players with a “bag” are anointed much earlier than players who flash in other areas.
That certainly seems to ring true with the other players listed above. While you can make an argument that those players (I’d personally just say Darius Garland) are a clear step above Barrett today, it feels more and more like Barrett’s ceiling is something special.
Barrett is the 2nd youngest player on the New York Knicks.
It’s not just in his numbers right now, it’s watching his confidence and growth on the court. There has been a lot to talk about in the evolution of Barrett’s game as of late, but there are some key areas where he’s really made a leap.
Keys to RJ Barrett’s breakout with the New York Knicks
We saw some big jumps in his game last season, but now, Barrett is really learning how to play to his strengths in the league.
Someone like Barrett needs reps with the ball in his hands to continue and grow as a ball-handler and scorer.
Barrett was oftentimes the de-facto point guard at Duke. While he likely won’t ever be literally slotted in as a point guard in the NBA, who’s to say his playmaking chops and ability to get to the rim can’t have him becoming an elite secondary playmaking wing in the same vein as DeMar DeRozan or Jimmy Butler.
What Barrett has done remarkably well so far in 2022 is get to the rim. From October-December, Barrett averaged 8.2 drives per game, which ranked 4th on the team.
From January 1st to today, Barrett has led the entire team with 14.5 drives per game.
This is how Barrett starts evolving into a superstar. He is fantastic at getting to the rim, and it opens up his shooting, playmaking, and all-around game.
Finishing has been a question mark, but as he’s gotten more reps, he’s been able to showcase more finishing moves and improve in that area.
The biggest growth for RJ Barrett last season was his shooting — Barrett shot over 40% from three and proved to be a great catch-and-shoot player, something that not many saw coming.
The thing is, he’s so much more than that, and the Knicks are starting to realize that just sticking him in a corner is not how he’s going to develop.
It’s similar to Kyle Kuzma’s monster season with the Wizards — Kuzma himself stated how the Lakers just stuck him in the corner as a shooter, which he was more than capable of doing, but it didn’t allow him to showcase his full game and get into a rhythm.
Players like Barrett need the ball in their hands to grow. Now that he’s getting that opportunity in year-3, he’s showing that he can easily be a multi-faceted, centerpiece of an offense who can sleepwalk 20 points per game.
The biggest question now is, can he sustain it?
New York Knicks: RJ Barrett sustaining success
If you’ve followed his career to this point, it’s really easy to believe in RJ Barrett.
You are put under a microscope playing for the New York Knicks more than you are any other NBA franchise. Maybe the Los Angeles Lakers, but the expectations, the “riff-raff” in the media and among the fans, it’s all unbelievably enormous, with every little misstep always blown out of proportion.
RJ Barrett’s demeanor is perfect for the city. He’s calm. He’s confident. He takes accountability. He wants to build and win in New York. He has embraced the challenge.
If you pair that mentality with his dedication to improving, I’m not sure how you see him failing.
He is still at least half a decade away from beginning his athletic prime as a basketball player.
Talk about those players mentioned before, we only saw DeRozan’s assist totals take a leap to over 5 per game in his ninth NBA season. Butler’s assist totals only got close to 5 per game in his 5th year, and his playmaking took another leap in his first season with Miami.
The New York Knicks are struggling, but Barrett’s progression is huge for their long-term outlook.
Even with how the team has been struggling, it seems like RJ Barrett’s role is cemented. I’d expect him to keep this up and finish the year with 21 points per game average.
It’s just the beginning of a long career.
Do you believe in RJ Barrett’s potential?