NY Knicks: Does RJ Barrett deserve a maximum rookie extension?

Before the dream run that “The Kids” have been on these past few games, the talk of the town for the New York Knicks had been the play of RJ Barrett.

By now, we have all heard about the infamous New Year’s Eve text Barrett sent to trainer Drew Hanlen in which he simply stated, “It’s time to take over.” Since then, Barrett has displayed some incredible basketball while playing as the clear-cut number one ball-handler and scoring option.

And yet, despite much rejoicing over the former third overall pick finally looking like a star on a consistent basis, there are still some fans who aren’t sold on Barrett’s future. As a result, such doubters have been focused on his potential paycheck from the Knicks.

Does Knicks star RJ Barrett deserve a maximum rookie contract extension?

The debate has been this: is Barrett worth being handed max money on a rookie extension? While some wouldn’t hesitate to give him that bag, others think that New York should save a bit of money by sticking to a smaller offer.

Why wouldn’t he be worth the most money that the Knicks can offer him? Well, the argument in place is that Barrett hasn’t shown enough to prove he should make the sort of money that is reserved for the most elite young players.

Why shouldn’t RJ Barrett get a max rookie extension? 

Thankfully, this discussion isn’t being pedaled by the trolls and clowns who wouldn’t consider Barrett a rising star. Or the ones who’d go out of their way to site the fringiest of advanced stats to convince you that he isn’t “top 25 under 25.” In fact, this is a conversation that I can respect being had.

Most people who think Barrett shouldn’t get the max at least acknowledge he’s worthy of a payday. They see the value that he has as an ascending player, and I agree that if Barrett was willing to take less than the max, there’s no reason why New York shouldn’t jump at such a financially flexible opportunity.

One comparison I’ve seen is that the organization should pay Barrett like he’s Jaylen Brown. The Boston guard’s an All-Star caliber player, but one who isn’t guaranteed to be thought of as the face of a franchise, or at least one that contends anyway.

However, some people have gone even further, suggesting that Barrett isn’t worth the praise he’s garnered.

A select few are skeptical of Barrett’s potential. I will admit, for all of the amazing performances and stellar strives he’s made in his game during his Knicks tenure, there have been many significant road bumps.

Some examples of why fans aren’t sold on him as a star player is his inconsistency as a shooter at all three levels, his lack of experience as a lead option, and the fact that there are a bevy of NBA players who’ve been more successful in his age group and draft class.

He’s only 21, but that hasn’t prevented viewers from tempering expectations. It also doesn’t help that New York’s front office has gotten a bit burned by recent contracts.

Julius Randle’s fall from grace and Evan Fournier’s offensive unsteadiness have put Leon Rose and company in a situation you don’t want to be in as a franchise; they’re overpaying players who are supposed to be sturdy contributors with an impact on winning, who instead often do the opposite.

Fans don’t want Barrett to get a ton of green too soon in case the inconsistent version of himself proves to be the “true” him.

These are all very rational concerns. However, I believe that Barrett has indeed proven that he should be getting the maximum rookie extension from the Knicks.

Why does RJ Barrett deserve the max rookie extension? 

For every long stretch in which he has struggled, Barrett’s had just as many where he thrives.

Of course, this conversation’s become relevant because of the current stretch that he’s having. I mentioned he planned on taking over in 2022, and so far, he’s done just that.

Barrett’s averaged 24 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in 2022 and has put up 24.5 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in March. And it doesn’t end there. Barrett’s put up better numbers since the All-Star break than some of the premier players in the NBA.

Not to mention, Barrett has 11 30+ point games this season (nine in 2022 alone), the most of any player 21 or younger. He also went bonkers for a career-high 46 points back on Feb. 25 against Miami.

He did all of this over a 36-game sample size. That’s six games short of an entire half of a season.

We’ve seen Barrett go super cold on 3-pointers before getting super hot on those shots. We’ve seen him go multiple games with horrible percentages, just to turn around the next game (or 10) without missing a single shot.

His handle, his reading of the defense, his decision-making, and his individual defense have all improved with every season and every game he’s played in. Consistency has definitely been an issue, but we’ve never seen him play this great for this long.

The fact that Barrett is capable of impacting a game in so many ways every single night, and he’s done so for roughly three full months now with the pressure of being “the guy,” should be proof enough that he is built for this kind of production.

If he can do this often, and so far he has, then he should be paid accordingly. At least part of the argument involves the sake of him being the first player since Charlie Ward to sign a second contract with New York following their rookie deal.

We should be encouraged that Barrett has gotten this far and is playing this great despite past shortcomings. He’s also clearly a very confident and mentally strong athlete who hasn’t fallen victim to his own failures.

The evidence shows that the Knicks finally have a real star living up to his draft status on their hands. They should honor that by paying him like other stars his age, and that means giving him the max.

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