RJ Barrett is a young two-way wing, who is widely considered one of the best players on the New York Knicks. He is capable of guarding the opponent’s best player and is also a solid offensive player, capable of slashing to the rim well.
Though he had a solid season last year, RJ Barrett has struggled thus far this season. Right now, he is only averaging 18.3 PPG, 5.1 RPG, and 2.9 APG, while shooting 40.2% from the field and 25.6% from the 3PT range. His struggles have been so bad, opponents have been leaving him wide open at times.
Recently, RJ Barrett expressed confidence in his offensive game, even daring teams to continue letting him shoot and leaving him wide open. He claimed that he’d “rather them do that” because it becomes an “easy bucket” for him. Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News relayed Barrett’s words.
RJ Barrett’s shooting hit another funk. The efficiency dipped to unsightly percentages.
Still, the latest Knick to ink a nine-figure contract said Friday that he has no plans to decrease his volume of attempts. He also dared the opposition to keep leaving him wide open.
“It’s an easy bucket, in my opinion,” Barrett said, “so I’d rather them do that.”
Though he is struggling right now, RJ Barrett will not shoot this poorly forever. It is quite likely that he will bounce back at some point this season, and have a stretch where his shooting evens out.
The New York Knicks notably signed RJ Barrett to a four-year extension that could be worth $120 million this summer. They will hope that he bounces back soon, and perhaps he, Jalen Brunson, and Julius Randle can lead the team to a play-in tournament spot this year.
NBA Executives Are Split On RJ Barrett’s Potential
Though RJ Barrett is clearly a good basketball player, it is unclear how high his potential is. Some executives believe that he will be a future All-Star, but others think that he’s “probably just a starter”.
From a simple evaluation perspective, some scouts believe in the shooting improvements he’s made, while others don’t seem to buy his touch and ability to be consistent long term. Some people in league circles will point to his aggressiveness and physicality as a driver as a reason to buy him long term, while others worry about the fact that he’s more of a below-the-rim athlete and don’t love his touch at the basket. Some love his ability to get downhill, but others question what happens from a decision-making perspective in terms of his shot selection and passing once he gets that head of steam. From a value perspective, some see him as a future All-Star; others are less sold and think he’s probably just a starter.
Hopefully, RJ Barrett is able to develop into a true All-Star-level player for the New York Knicks. The team has been unable to get elite stars to join them over the past few years, so perhaps they can develop one from within.
The next matchup for the New York Knicks will be against the Golden State Warriors, who have also struggled to start the season. Hopefully, RJ Barrett can begin to find his rhythm in that game and have an efficient but high-volume scoring performance.
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