New York Knicks: RJ Barrett enjoying an impressive start to rookie season

New York Knicks rookie RJ Barrett has looked solid so far through five contests, averaging 18.2 points per night

There hasn’t been a lot to look forward to for several years if you’re a New York Knicks fan. But when they drafted former Duke star RJ Barrett with the No. 3 overall pick this past summer, it gave the organization some hope that they had their franchise piece to build around.

A slow summer league debut raised concerns, but Barrett began to look like the player the Knicks drafted with their first pick, averaging just over 15 points per game through five contests in Las Vegas.

Now, a handful of games into his NBA career where he’s facing the best of the best every night he steps on the hardwood, Barrett is looking extremely comfortable. It’s just five games into the 2019-20 campaign, but the 19-year-old Canadian is averaging 18.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, and three assists per contest. He’s also shooting 47.4 percent from the field and 42.1 percent from 3-point range.

Although the Knicks are just 1-4 so far, Barrett has added an exciting flair on both ends of the floor at Madison Square Garden. Usually, even high-profile rookies, have a tough time transitioning to the NBA game.

In Barrett’s debut last Wednesday against a relatively good San Antonio Spurs team, he dropped 21 points while going 9-13 from the field in 37 minutes played. That performance put him in exclusive company, becoming the second-youngest player ever to put up 20 or more points in his NBA debut behind LeBron James, who completed the feat at 18 years old.

Starting off with a bang

Barrett has scored in double figures in four out of five contests this season so far and two of those games he scored over 20 points. In New York’s lone win over the Chicago Bulls Monday, Barrett collected a whopping 15 boards to go along with his 19 points.

He’s looked a lot stronger on and off the ball compared to last year in college, using his physicality to get to the hoop and finish and on the defensive end, containing his oppositions and bringing down boards with his large 6-foot-10 wingspan.

Barrett was criticized by evaluators prior to the 2019 draft on his inability to consistently shoot the ball, but he’s proved all the naysayers wrong so far. He’s shooting over 40 percent from both the field and downtown.

In the Knicks loss to the Celtics last Saturday, Barrett sunk 4-6 attempts from the 3-point line. He’s shown the ability to get hot from around the perimeter and if he can continue to shoot the ball well from downtown, it’s going to make his all-around game a whole lot better.

Playing any role necessary

With point guard Elfrid Payton out for the time being with a hamstring injury, Barrett had to play point guard at the tail end of Monday’s win over the Bulls and also in their loss on Wednesday night against the Magic. Although he flourished in the role on Monday, he struggled against Orlando, putting up his first lackluster performance of his rookie season, scoring just nine points in 30 minutes while shooting 4-11 from the field.

Point guard isn’t Barrett’s natural position, so it’s understandable. The best of the best have nights where they’re just simply off, so it’s not a worry. But as he voiced in interviews after their loss to the Magic, he’s open to play wherever David Fizdale needs him. Shooting guard is his most comfortable spot on the court, but he showed in the Bulls contest that he can also control the tempo and pace of the game at point guard.

Looking at Barrett’s overall performance so far for the Knicks this season, there is a lot positive to take away. From his ability to get to the hoop and finish to draining numerous 3’s, RJ Barrett is proving that he could be the franchise piece that the New York Knicks desperately need. He may be the player who entices stars to come to the Knicks in the coming years if he can turn into an NBA mainstay himself.