3 Knicks players that disappointed in 2022-23 season
1. RJ Barrett
You’d think that with the addition of a consistent point guard in the form of Jalen Brunson, or the resurgence of Julius Randle, RJ Barrett would finally take the next step to at least be an efficient complimentary piece. However, this season showed that he may not be ready for that, at least not in New York.
Not only was Barrett not consistent throughout the season, but he also took a noticeable decline on the defensive side of the ball. This, combined with the way he forced his offense at times made him unplayable at multiple moments throughout the season.
In 73 games, Barrett averaged 19.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.8 assists while shooting 43.4% from the field and 31.0% from deep on 5.3 attempts. While Barrett certainly had stretches of great play at times, this was far from sustainable.
Honestly, the way that Barrett went from a 40% from three type of player to a nearly useless in terms of shooting player was almost incredible. Maybe his trainer is to blame, but even if Barrett cannot hit his threes there are so many other ways in which he can contribute, yet he doesn’t.
While Barrett was able to pick things up in the playoffs, this shouldn’t take away from how poorly he performed for the majority of the regular season.