To paraphrase a preferred saying, New York as a metropolis serves as a key litmus take a look at for a way good somebody is at one thing. On the subject of basketball, the Knicks sit squarely within the above-average territory, only a half-game behind Indiana for the sixth seed within the East regardless of the Eighth-best web score in your complete NBA.
Each Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle have answered the bell for the group, with Brunson particularly bringing his profitable mojo from the Mavs to the Knicks. This has left former third total decide RJ Barrett to function the third banana on the group. His stats in comparison with final 12 months are virtually copy-and-paste, as Barrett is averaging 19.9 factors, 3.0 assists, 5.5 rebounds, 0.5 steals, and a pair of.4 turnovers in 2022-2023, none of which is greater than 0.3 away from any of final 12 months’s averages.
Though he’s solely 22 years outdated, Barrett is presently a fourth-year participant in The Affiliation, which is often when NBA gamers make the leap from “fairly good” to licensed stardom. Blake Griffin, Paul George, and James Harden all famously broke out and made their first All-Star look within the fourth season, alongside many different stars.
Are the Knicks holding RJ Barrett again?
Not precisely. To this point, Barrett’s inconsistency has saved him from approaching his ceiling as a participant. When he’s scorching, he showcases the game-breaking scoring abilities which are the hallmark of star gamers corresponding to when he put up 44 factors for the Knicks in opposition to Chicago earlier this 12 months:
When taking a look at Barrett’s 5 highest profession scoring video games, there’s a noticeable development: Barrett shot higher than 50% from two-point vary and higher than 40% from three-point vary in all 5 of his greatest performances. He additionally had at the least six free-throw makes an attempt in these video games, which helped him get straightforward factors within the circulation of the offense.
For Barrett to take the final step to stardom, which is commonly the toughest to do, he’ll must change into a scorer that the Knicks can rely on each evening. Though he’s advanced right into a harmful driver towards the rim, he wants so as to add one other elite ingredient on offense to change into an All-Star. That could possibly be a dependable mid-range jumper, a punishing pull-up from deep, or an elevated penchant at attending to the road.
Regardless of his obvious stagnation, all is just not misplaced for Barrett’s growth into an NBA star. Stephen Curry, DeMar DeRozan, and sure Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, amongst others, made their first All-Star recreation of their fifth season. Some have even made their debuts later.
To get there, it’ll come all the way down to Barrett taking the expertise he has and turning into a constant scorer for the Knicks. If he can do this, not solely may the Knicks change into contenders, however Barrett may change into a participant who can put up far more than the 44 that he held on the Bulls.
Though the Knicks have already got two All-Star caliber gamers in Randle and Brunson, Barrett nonetheless has the best ceiling of anybody on the roster. If he can finally make it occur within the Large Apple, then Barrett can really make it occur anyplace.
