Small Forward: RJ Barrett
Last season wasn’t particularly kind to RJ Barrett.
In a draft that has Zion Williamson and Ja Morant who put up eye-popping numbers as rookies, it is going to put a lot of pressure on the shoulders of people drafted right after them. Barrett, unfortunately, was in the firing line and he hasn’t exactly set the NBA alight.
The Canadian Star had only just turned 19 when he was drafted in 2019 third overall by the New York Knicks. So much expectation and hype were put behind Barrett when he went to Duke.
With Zion Williamson and Cam Reddish along with Barrett all together on one team, it was expected that Barrett would flourish alongside his talented freshman.
And he did, Barrett averaged 22.6 points per game in his lone season at Duke but it was his larger than life teammate Zion that stole the spotlight and was drafted first overall. Coming into the league Barrett seemed like he was ready to contribute right away as a prospect but while he averaged a respectable 14.3 points per game, his shooting all over the floor was suspect at best.
Barrett seemed to struggle shooting the ball, posting 40 and 32 percent shooting clips from the field and 3-point range, respectively. That can easily be put down to his youth and inexperience. You can expect a stronger year from RJ this coming season.
Having a veteran coach in Tom Thibadeau could be the making of RJ Barrett. If he can focus Barrett on the defensive end whilst also giving him the tools to get better on the offensive end then RJ could break out in a big way over the next year or two. You could compare the production of Barrett in his rookie season to that of Brandon Ingram.
Ingram drafted second overall by the Lakers was poor in his 1st season for the purple and gold. His body wasn’t NBA ready and his shot simply wasn’t falling, but you could absolutely see the talent on show every game.
RJ shows that same talent night in, night out. All he needs is time. If given time, the Knicks could be onto a winner with RJ Barrett.