New York Knicks: Should we expect a third year jump from RJ Barrett?

Will we see a big third-year jump from New York Knicks guard RJ Barrett this season?

Last season, the New York Knicks were the surprise of the season as they made a return to the postseason as the 4th seed in the Eastern Conference. Even though they left much to be desired in their first-round playoff matchup against the Atlanta Hawks, the Knicks have to look back at the 2020-21 NBA season as a success.

Heading into this season, it will likely be difficult – and unlikely – for New York to have a “better” season than they did a year ago. After the offseason, are the Knicks one of the three best teams in the East? Unlikely.

I’m not even sure if it would be smart to pencil them into the top 5. Nevertheless, that’s how they’re going to be judged.

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Despite facing an uphill battle in the East – considering that the Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks, Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, and Philadelphia 76ers seem like the more talented rosters on paper – there is one way they can make a huge jump this season.

That would be on the progression of RJ Barrett, who is – really – the only player on the roster that has superstar potential.

Barrett, coming off his sophomore season, will look to put his name on the map as he approaches his all-important third season. Most stars in the league blossom by their third year, and that’s oftentimes the year where we see the biggest jump in their progression.

By the third season, most NBA players are what they are. Or, at the very least, their potential is evident.

RJ Barrett will be given every opportunity by the New York Knicks to make a star-caliber jump

For Barrett, everything is in place for him to make that star-level jump. He’s improved as a player in each of his first two seasons in the league and is coming off a sophomore season in which he averaged 18 points, six rebounds, and three assists on 44 percent shooting from the field and 40 percent shooting from 3-point range.

Barrett is also a gamer on the defensive end and has yet to back down in any matchup. He struggled in the postseason but the hope is that he could use that experience to make the jump in his third year.

The Knicks may not have made the “splash” move that is deemed necessary to make a big jump up the standings, but Barrett could theoretically work like that “move.” If Barrett comes out averaging 20-plus points, six rebounds, and five assists per game on good shooting percentages, he’s going to be one of the biggest stories in the league.

And, most importantly, he’s going to give the Knicks that star-level talent that they simply couldn’t land during the offseason. In the past, it would’ve been foreign for this team to simply trust their developmental program.

Now, it seems like that’s what this team had planned all along. And it could pay big dividends if Barrett makes the third-year jump that many are expecting him to.