What does the Donovan Mitchell trade mean for Knicks’ RJ Barrett?
With former Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday, Knicks fans either rejoiced or were devastated. The happy fans were excited that we now get to see the young guys on the team develop and the latter were wishing that the Knicks would finally have a bonafide star on the roster.
Regardless, Mitchell is not coming to New York, and with the Knicks seemingly emphasizing the development of players like RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, Obi Toppin, and Quentin Grimes, things could get very exciting soon.
The player it seems the Knicks are putting the biggest emphasis on is Mr. Barrett, who has shown tons of improvement since entering the league in 2019. With there being no star on the way to New York, it seems as if the team could finally be Barrett’s.
What does the Donovan Mitchell news mean for RJ Barrett?
Throughout last season, we saw RJ Barrett make massive strides as both a scorer, playmaker, and even as a defender early on. While stats may not show all of this, it doesn’t take long when watching Knicks games to understand the development of the 22-year-old.
With there being no star, and Barrett signing a four-year, $120 million extension this offseason, it seems as if we could see even more development out of Barrett this season. It is likely that we will see the ball in his hands a lot, while having less pressure on his back offensively due to the addition of Jalen Brunson.
This means that we could see Barrett go back to playing the elite defense we saw him play towards the beginning of the 2021-22 season. While this elite stretch of defense did not last long, it was not because of his ability. It was more on the fact that as the season went on, Barrett was forced to take a bigger role offensively which caused him to put more energy on that side of the ball.
In addition to this, while statistically Barrett did not improve much as a playmaker, the tunnel vision he showcased in his rookie year improved by a ton. Playmaking has always been something Knicks fans saw in Barrett. If the coaching staff can realize the potential he has as a passer, especially on drive in-kick out plays, things could really improve for Barrett this season.
Barrett has shown a ton of potential as an all-around player since entering the league. While we have not seen New York use his playmaking all that much, watching Barrett’s development as a scorer, and at times defender, is something that has been very exciting to watch.
Now that the Knicks have a real PG in Jalen Brunson on the roster, we could finally see everything come together for Barrett. That’s something that may not have happened if Mitchell would’ve joined the team. I’m not saying that Mitchell isn’t a good passer, because he is. However, Mitchell is a score-first player and an elite one at that.
While pairing Barrett and Mitchell may have been really fun to watch, I am quite okay with seeing Barrett take the rein as the next star for the Knicks.
