3 Goals for Knicks’ RJ Barrett to take his game to the next level

2: Increase free throw shooting percentage

One of the areas of Barrett’s game that he’s always been adept at is getting to the paint and drawing contact. While the 23-year-old’s whistle hasn’t been generous, he’s still getting to the free-throw line at an admirable rate.

Barrett’s 5.4 attempts per game from the charity stripe were solid enough to rank within the top 30 of all players last season, slotting in between NBA All-Stars Donovan Mitchell and Anthony Edwards.

The only issue is that his shooting proficiency at the line has remained below average, although there are signs he’s trending upward. His 74% mark on free throws last season isn’t great, but it’s substantially better than the 61% he shot as a rookie.

Assuming Barrett will be getting more trips to the line as he begins to enter his mid-20s and play with even more physicality, foul shooting could end up being the difference between him averaging 19-20 and 22-23 points per game.

Asking him to jump to a 90% free throw shooter in one summer is unrealistic, but if he can connect on close to 80% of his looks, it’ll help boost his scoring totals. More importantly, it’ll also help boost the Knicks’ overall scoring numbers.