Player Profiles - RJ Barrett

 

Coming off a season where he averaged a career high 20 points, 5.8 boards, and 3 assists, Barrett is poised to make the all-star leap this year. At just 22 years old, it seems like the future is very bright for the young Knick.

The 2021-22 season couldn’t have been all the Knicks hoped for. Julius Randle regressed majorly, looking like a shell of his former self from just a year ago, and the defense that was a top 5 unit last year looked completely lost. Despite this, in the darkness, Barrett shined. He was almost a guaranteed bucket in transition, going coast to coast with ease. On the occasions when Barrett couldn’t convert at the basket, he grew adept in the art of drawing fouls. Averaging almost 6 free throws a game, Barrett made it a goal to get to the line. While the 3-point shot was streaky at the start of the season, it rapidly saw improvement throughout the year. Barrett’s ball-handling was noticeably tighter - he could consistently take guys off the dribble. Barrett even developed and often went to a midrange fadeaway, something that was never seen in his game in years prior. 

As for defense, RJ Barrett showed out as arguably the best on-ball defender on the Knicks. Although he averaged around the league average in defensive rating 112.9, Barrett did it while guarding some of the best talents the NBA has to offer. Throughout the season Barrett guarded all-NBA stars, from the likes of Jayson Tatum to Lebron James. Overall, Barrett held his defenders to 44.8% shooting, a very respectable number for a defender.

From the all-star break, until the end of the season, RJ Barrett averaged 25 points, 6.2 boards, and 3.8 assists. If he can start the year at the same pace, it seems like an all-star berth is inevitable for the young guard. But besides the stats, Barrett also came into his role as the de facto leader of this young Knicks team. You could see it on the court - players looked towards Barrett as their leader and he was accepting the role. While Randle’s 2020-21 season was incredible, I never really thought he could be the leader of this Knicks team. I had always thought that this was Barrett’s team to lead, and I am very enthusiastic about him finally getting the keys to the franchise.

Despite all the praise, some shortcomings come along with Barrett. He has been critiqued for his shooting efficiency, which can be very poor at times, his low free throw percentage, and his finishing. I think the efficiency and free throw shooting will undoubtedly go up. Barrett was made New York’s number one option by the end of last year and with that comes a new spotlight. Teams will game plan for you more and it will take time to adjust to the new defense. However, it will only be a matter of time before Barrett adjusts and his efficiency will follow, becoming more consistent. The thing that concerned me more last year was the finishing. Despite being a very strong, 6’6” guard, Barrett only shot about 40% at the rim last year. He needs to become a better finisher and can’t be missing easy, point-blank layups. I’m not sure what the problem is, but if he remedied it over the summer it will greatly improve his game overall.

I’m predicting RJ Barrett to truly break out this year as a player. I expect an all-star appearance and maybe even some all-NBA nods. Not only has he been improving every year he’s been in the league, but Barrett will also be playing along the best point guard he’s ever played with in Jalen Brunson. RJ Barrett has all the potential in the world to be a top player in the NBA, he just has to reach it.