With RJ Barrett’s contract set to expire after the upcoming season, the New York Knicks must decide on whether or not they wish to offer the 22-year-old a max extension. While some may disagree, I believe Barrett would be worth every penny of that deal.
The extension in question will have Barrett set to make $185 million over the next five seasons. That is a lot of money for a player of Barrett’s level. However, I believe that in the next couple of years, there will be no doubt that he will be worth it.
Here are three reasons why RJ Barrett deserves a max extension from the Knicks
3: The market
Is RJ Barrett worth $185 million right now? Absolutely not. However, that is just simply what high potential players on rookie contracts are being paid.
A good example of this is Michael Porter Jr., who after one season of averaging 19 PPG on elite efficiency, was rewarded with a five-year, $172 million deal. I’m not saying that Porter is better than Barrett or that Barrett is better than Porter, but we have seen players who have shown less get paid the same amount as what Barrett is owed.
If the Knicks want to keep Barrett, they must pay him that much. It is as simple as that. Forget all the potential he has and how well he’s played the last two seasons, his extension is just simply what the market for rookie extensions has become.
2. RJ Barrett’s potential
Last season, RJ Barrett averaged 20 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 3 APG while shooting 40.8% from the field and 34.2% from three. While these may not be the most eye-popping numbers, this is due to how inconsistent Barrett was at times.
Throughout the 70 games Barrett played last season, he had moments where he looked like a superstar, scoring 30 or more points in 11 of said games. However, he also had moments where he couldn’t hit a shot. This is something that most players deal with, though, so I am not worried at all.
Not to mention, Barrett had to share the floor with Julius Randle throughout the majority of last season. As we know, that made it difficult for not only RJ but also for many other players on the team to get the ball.
Barrett has improved dramatically in each of his three seasons in the league. If he remains on this track, then there will be no doubts in anyone’s mind that Barrett will be worth the max contract he is likely going to get.
Not only does Barrett show tremendous potential as a scorer, but his potential as a playmaker and defender is what excites me the most. To start the year last season, Barrett was playing defense at a very elite level. However, once he was forced to take on a heavier offensive role, his defense fell back to being good at best.
In addition to his defense, Barrett has shown potential to be a great playmaker during his time in the league. While his assist numbers may not show it (2.9 APG in three seasons) watching him play shows his potential. It is just unfortunate that coach Tom Thibodeau does not realize this and would rather force Randle to be the primary playmaker.
I’m not saying that Barrett has the potential to be the best playmaker in the league, but it is just not talked about enough.
1. He is the best player on the team and should be rewarded for it
While Julius Randle may have had a “better” statistical season, numbers are not everything, as watching Randle showed just how bad he was at times. I’m not saying that Barrett had the best statistical season, either. However, Barrett did many things Randle could not.
In my opinion, Barrett was the better scorer, defender, leader, and overall player over Randle last season. If the Knicks wish to reward Barrett for taking the step up he did this past year, they should do so with the contract he deserves.
Barrett was the undoubtable leader of the Knicks last season, stepping up when no one else would in clutch situations, such as his buzzer-beater against the Boston Celtics in January.
The Knicks rewarded Mitchell Robinson for his services by giving him a contract extension this offseason. Yes, it is not nearly as much as what Barrett could potentially make, but I feel as if there should be no doubts that Barrett deserves his bag.
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