NBA Rookie Ladder: Ja Morant continues to impress for Memphis Grizzlies

2. RJ Barrett, New York Knicks

15.8 PPG, 5.6 REB, 3.6 AST

The only part to RJ Barrett‘s game that’s been disappointing up to this point has been his free throw shooting. I mean c’mon RJ, you’re better than 50.6 percent from the line.

That being said, Barrett’s impact on the New York Knicks makes him the Knicks’ biggest bright spot and one of the only hopes for the team moving forward.

The responsibility he’s had to shoulder in his first season given his position and understood role coming out of college is a lot for any rookie to handle.

Barrett loves when the ball is in his hands and he can go to work scoring in bunches, but I don’t even think he thought he would be the team’s point guard more often than not this early in the season.

Elfrid Payton, Dennis Smith Jr. and Frank Ntilikina have all disappointed as lead guards for the Knicks this season, leaving Barrett to carry the offense built on a lack of shooting and a dearth of big men.

Spacing hasn’t been something New York has allowed for when constructing this roster, so the fact that Barrett has even found as many chances to score around the basket and operate in traffic as he has is a testament to his hard work and determination to do what he does best.

While I certainly expect a lot of his efficiency numbers to continue to slowly decline moving forward as the Knicks ask him to keep doing more with limited help, he’s still operating well as the team’s most reliable source of offense as a rookie.

He hasn’t had all of the team’s best scoring performances, but he’s accounted for enough of them just by being the threat he is to make something happen off the dribble.