3 reasons Knicks fans should feel hopeful about four-game win streak
1: RJ Barrett’s improvement
Julius Randle has been the Knicks’ best player lately, but RJ Barrett’s success over the past few games is the best part about the team’s win streak. Barrett started the season on a poor note after signing a four-year extension in the offseason and has gone through a few slumps, but he’s turned a corner in New York’s last couple of games.
Against the Hornets, Barrett shot 50% from the field for 26 points to pair with seven rebounds and four assists. In the win over the Kings, he shot 42.9% from the floor for 27 points and added nine rebounds, six assists, two blocks, and three steals. One of RJ’s main issues this season is consistency and if he can build off his efficiency in recent games, he could start to look like the All-Star that fans were hoping he’d be.
The Knicks invested in Barrett during the offseason and they need him to be their guy, which was the case for Randle last year, but instead, he was more of a disappointment for the entirety of the season. However, RJ’s case is different than Julius’ because he’s one of New York’s homegrown talents and was the first player that was drafted in the first round to sign an extension since Charlie Ward.
RJ Barrett upped his game in the second half of last season, but the Knicks can’t sit around and wait for him to do the same this season. Let’s hope that this version of RJ hangs around.
