Knicks’ RJ Barrett responds to idiotic ‘role player’ take on Twitter

New York Knicks fans, you might be surprised to learn that RJ Barrett is actually a role player. No, he isn’t the player that the Knicks should be building their future around, but instead, he’s a fraud.

Hopefully, you can detect sarcasm. However, that’s how four people who are on a ‘basketball’ podcast together feel. They didn’t just address Barrett’s weaknesses but instead strung a lot of meaningless words together that they feel define his game.

Barrett’s entering his fourth season in the league after being drafted No. 3 overall in 2019. He went into second gear at the start of 2022 and averaged 23.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in 41 games while shooting 41.2% from the field. The 22-year-old achieved his goal of averaging 20 points a game in a single season by averaging exactly 20 in 2021-22.

With Donovan Mitchell trade rumors running wild this offseason, New York reportedly doesn’t have an interest in trading Barrett. Believe it or not, he has the potential to be a star in the NBA. That isn’t to say that there aren’t parts of his game that he needs to improve on (ie: his efficiency), but to refer to him as nothing more than a role player is absolutely absurd.

Knicks’ RJ Barrett responds to ‘role player’ tweet with one simple emoji

That clip created a whole new level of disrespect towards RJ Barrett, which is something that he should be accustomed to at this point. By now, it’s laughable, and Barrett apparently feels the same way.

So simple, but so true. Regardless of how you feel about RJ, there’s no way that you can listen to that and not laugh, especially the ‘fake playmaker’ line. It would’ve been easier for these people to admit that they enjoy clowning the Knicks because their takes couldn’t have been more off-base.

If Barrett were just a ‘role player’, why would his name be on this list? Why would opposing teams bother to put their best defender on him?

Jalen Brunson’s presence on the court will help to take attention away from Barrett on offense, which in theory should help to improve his efficiency. Let’s take it a step further and think about what the Knicks would look like with Donovan Mitchell and Barrett in the starting lineup.

RJ’s poised to have a big season, but honestly, even if he does, there will likely still be people discrediting his game. Don’t expect ‘Knicks for clicks’ to go away anytime soon.

At least we’re getting some entertainment during the slow part of the offseason, and things will only get more entertaining when these same people start scrambling during the season to backtrack on what they’ve said about Barrett. That time will come.

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