RJ Barrett had a terrific game on Friday night, carrying the New York Knicks against the 1st seed in the Eastern Conference, Miami Heat, going off on the Floridian, although the Knicks couldn’t get the win.
The Canadian young player dropped 46 points on his rivals, which were the most by a Knicks player since Carmelo Anthony also had 46 in 2014. He was on a tear during the game, and everybody was in awe of his performance.
Even though he couldn’t get the win, Barrett’s performance granted him a lot of praise, including from the rivals he dominated during the entire match. Following the game, some Heat players praised the ‘Maple Mamba,’ with Jimmy Butler even claiming he’ll be the face of the Knicks in the future.
“I don’t think anybody is surprised or should be surprised. He’s gonna definitely be playing in this league for a long time and he’s going to be the face of the Knicks.”
Jimmy Butler talks about RJ Barrett's career-high performance tonight:
"I don't think anybody is surprised or should be surprised. He's gonna definitely be playing in this league for a long time and he's going to be the face of the Knicks" pic.twitter.com/05Ke3xyf6V
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) February 26, 2022
Bam Adebayo also lauded the former No. 3 overall pick, highlighting Barrett’s confidence, which makes him the great player he is.
“Confidence. You can see it in his body language, you can see it in his face. He wants to be – him. He wants to be that guy. You can see, he wants to take his team to another level.”
“Confidence. You can see it in his body language, you can see it in his face. He wants to be – him. He wants to be that guy. You can see, he wants to take his team to another level.”
— Bam Adebayo on RJ Barrett (career-high 46 points v Miami) pic.twitter.com/jUeMOczrt2
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) February 26, 2022
Barrett also reflected on his game, stating that he would like to get the victory after putting up a show, but things didn’t work in their favor.
”When you have a night like that, of course, you want to have a win, which is the most important thing.”
“I had terrible turnovers. I don’t know what I was doing.”
The Knicks are having a tumultuous season, looking nothing like the team that shocked the world last year. Julius Randle has regressed, Kemba Walker wasn’t the player they wanted him to be and Derrick Rose has been dealing with injuries. Barrett is trying to step up and become the figure of this squad, and both Butler and Adebayo know he has the talent to do so.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUkDc_Pu1Lo
