Late run by New York Knicks falls short; 3 takeaways
1. RJ Barrett shines in NBA debut
Despite being picked No. 3 in last June’s draft, RJ Barrett was expected to have some growing pains to start his first NBA season as a 19-year-old rookie.
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The sample size is small, but the results are encouraging. Barrett put up 21 points and five rebounds in his NBA debut. Even more surprising was the efficiency with which he produced those numbers with a 9-of-13 mark from the field.
Impressive debut for RJ Barrett. Incredibly efficient offensively :
— Tommy Beer (@TommyBeer) October 24, 2019
21 points on 9-of-13 shooting
to go along with 5 rebs, 2 assists and 2 steals
Barrett is just the second Knicks rookie ever to score more than 20 points in his first career NBA game.
He got to the rim with as much ease as he did in college and was just as successful at converting those looks, going 4-of-4 in the restricted area and 5-of-5 in the paint overall.
This is not a sweeping declaration for a forthcoming Rookie of the Year trophy. The positive consensus Knicks fans might have right now for Barrett could violently shift in an instance depending on what he does for an encore.
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For just one night, though, Barrett looked like the darling of the 2019 Draft and every bit the future star his ceiling suggests. For a fan base without many bright spots to watch this season, that’s more than enough for now.