3 New York Knicks players who could have breakout 2023-24 season
1. SF RJ Barrett
There may have been flashes of good play, especially in the postseason, but all fans can agree that 2022-23 was not great for RJ Barrett. His inconsistencies on both sides of the ball made him a near liability sometimes, making it difficult to watch games. Despite this, fans should still be high on Barrett’s ceiling and the player he could be going into 2023-24.
Last season, Barrett averaged 19.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game, shooting 43.4% from the field and 31.0% from deep on 5.3 attempts. While Barrett did make a notable improvement in finishing at the rim, that’s about the only area that looked better than it did in prior years. In 2021-22, Barrett shot 59.6% at the rim and 44.2% from two-point range, but in 2022-23, Barrett shot a much improved 64.2% at the rim and 49.5% from two.
Despite this improvement at the rim, Barrett saw a decline in points, rebounds, assists, and three-point percentage. While things around him certainly weren’t perfect, he still needed to play better than he did in 2021-22. However, after a solid playoff run, fans are as optimistic as ever that Barrett could make the leap next season.
Hopefully, entering year five, Barrett finally sees marginal improvement. Fans would like to see him become the All-Star he was destined to be, but fans would be happy at this point if Barrett could become a consistent third option.
