New York Knicks: Why the team should draft Darius Garland over RJ Barrett

No matter how the New York Knicks offseason pans out, the 3rd pick will have to play off the ball, and Darius Garland is better suited for that role than RJ Barrett

There is a growing sentiment around the league that the New York Knicks will select RJ Barrett with the third overall pick in the draft. For example, in his latest mock draft, Reid Forgrave of CBS Sports had the organization selecting Barrett  in the first round:

"But let the record show that I think he’s closer to another player that executives and scouts have said they see shades of: James Harden, a slithery and creative scorer. Barrett has told me that he studies Harden’s game as much as any player in the NBA, and models himself after him. There’s risk that Barrett might turn into a volume scorer in a league that’s obsessed with efficient scorers. But Barrett has that star potential. If Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant come to New York, though, the fit certainly isn’t optimal. The dude doesn’t defer particularly well."

However one can argue that the Knicks are better off drafting Darius Garland over RJ Barrett because the third overall pick is expected to spend a significant amount of time off the ball for at least the first year of their career.

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This is because the team recently acquired a point guard in Dennis Smith Jr who has shown a tendency to get mad when he does not have the ball. According to ESPN, Smith asked the Dallas Mavericks to trade him after he saw that Luka Doncic was becoming the primary ball handler:

"Smith expressed that he hopes to be traded. Sources said Smith was frustrated with his role and had friction with Carlisle since Rookie of the Year front-runner Luka Doncic seized the reins of the offense."

Consequently,  Darius Garland would be the ideal player for the organization as he shot 47.8 percent from behind the arc (making 2.2 3’s in 4.6 attempts per game) in five games of the regular season with the Vanderbilt Commodores. Garland’s 3-point percentage is 15.4 percentage points better than RJ Barrett who knocked down 32.4 percent of his 3-pointers over the first five games of the regular season (making 2.2 3’s in 6.8 attempts per game).

Barrett would go on to shoot 30.5 percent from behind the arc for the reminder of the season (making 1.9 3’s in 6.2 attempts per game). The slight dip after his fifth game played a vital role in him shooting 30.8 percent for the whole season (making 1.9 3’s in 6.3 attempts per game).

As a consequence, the presence of Garland would open up space for Dennis Smith Jr to maneuver in the half court offense. For example, if the Knicks were to face the Phoenix Suns, Devin Booker would stay close to Garland because of his ability to knock down a three-pointer if he is left open. Therefore, Dennis has one less player to worry about when it comes to facing a potential double team.

However, if the Knicks drafted RJ Barrett,  the defender can leave him wide open to provide help defense on Dennis Smith Jr because of his below average three-point shooting. As a consequence,  New York would need to trade Dennis Smith Jr for RJ Barrett to flourish as a player.

Barrett gained the reputation in college of being a player who thrives with the ball in his hands. According to Chris Stone of Sporting News, Barrett’s best attribute is his ability to attack the basket and score around the rim:

"Barrett’s most refined skill at this stage is his ability to attack and score around the basket. He excels as a straight line threat thanks to lengthy strides that allow him to eat up space, but he can also change directions with a couple go-to moves. Once at the rim, he’s a creative finisher who can re-adjust midair to avoid defenders."

Unfortunately, the only way the Knicks trade Dennis Smith Jr is if they can sign Kevin Durant and/ or Kyrie Irving this offseason. Kevin and Kyrie are two players that often develop tunnel vision when they have the basketball. One example of this was late in the first quarter of a Golden State Warriors home game against Oklahoma City Thunder when Andre Iguodala inbounded the ball to Ian Clark.

Ian proceeded to dribble towards the top of the key before passing the ball, Kevin Durant, who was positioned on the left mid-block. Once Kevin received the basketball, he bumped his defender, Semaj Christon a couple of feet back before making a turn around jumper.

Conversely, one example of this for Kyrie Irving would be early in the third quarter of a Boston Celtics home game against the San Antonio Spurs. Kyrie dribbled the basketball up to the three-point line and realized that the Spurs weren’t protecting the rim. Consequently, Irving did an in between the legs dribble move to momentarily freeze his defender, Derrick White which allowed to go right for the easy layup.

For their style to succeed, they need to surround by shooters as it would main the floor open for them to go to work in the half court. For instance, a defender would be hesitant to leave to a shooter open to provide help defense on Durant or Irving out of fear that their assignment gets the ball and makes a three-pointer.

Therefore, Darius Garland would be a better fit alongside Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving because of his shooting ability. Not only would Darius Garland be the ideal complementary piece to play with Kevin and Kyrie, but he could also serve as one of the main players going to the New Orleans Pelicans in a potential Anthony Davis trade.

The Pelicans are currently expected to draft a player in Zion Williamson who is at his best when he has the basketball. Kevin O’Connor of the Ringer alluded to this late last year when describing a play against the Kentucky Wildcats:

"Zion skies over a defender for a rebound, takes the ball up the court, then hits Tre Jones with the bounce pass for a layup. It’s not an exaggeration to say the last player to possess this type of skill with similar physical makeup was Charles Barkley. That’s what makes Williamson such a fascinating fit for the NBA. In today’s positionless league, Williamson could serve as the screener or as the ball handler in the pick-and-roll."

Zion’s skill set dictates that he is best suited to be in the LeBron James offense, where he can dribble the ball to the 3-point line and analyze the entire defense. If one of the defenders is sagging off a shooter, he will pass the basketball to the shooter for an open 3-pointer.

On the other hand, if everyone stays home, he will study everything about his defender to determine the next course of action. If the defender decided to sag off of him, Zion would take the open jumper. But, if the defender played him tight, he will attempt to drive towards the basket for a score, to draw a foul or attract a double team.

Distance is not the only aspect of the defense that Zion can analyze as he can pay attention to the size of his defender. If he has a smaller defender, Zion can back him down into the post to score or throw a cross-court pass to a teammate behind the arc.

This offense will force his future teammates to spend a substantial amount of time off the ball in the role of bystander or spot up shooter. As a consequence, Garland would once again be the better fit because of his shooting ability.

However, shooting isn’t his only skill as he can run an offense if his teammates get into foul trouble. Kevin O’Connor echoed these sentiments in late February when the Ringer published their first NBA draft big board of 2019:

"Garland is a score-first point guard, but like Trae Young the year before, he uses his threat to pull up from anywhere to generate open looks for his teammates. Garland excels at creating space by using a plethora of dribble moves, and he delivers accurate passes. I watched him in person against USC earlier this season and was especially impressed by his knack for dissecting defenses, changing speeds, and then attacking."

In conclusion, the offensive versatility of Darius Garland makes him a better fit to be drafted with the selection as the pick will have to spend a significant amount of time off the ball.