New York Knicks: 3 reasons RJ Barrett will thrive under Tom Thibodeau
By Chip Murphy
2. RJ is aggressive
Barrett is still young. We don’t know what his best role in the NBA is yet, but as a rookie, he looked at his most comfortable attacking the basket. Despite his poor shooting percentages, it was good to see that such a young player was never tentative, no matter the situation.
According to Synergy, Barrett was third among rookies in drives per game and second in field goals made in the restricted area. Julius Randle and Elfrid Payton dominated the ball in clutch situations, but Barrett still ranked third among rookies in clutch points, field goal attempts, and fifth in makes.
Thibodeau is used to coaching aggressive young players. Prime Derrick Rose was one of the most relentless attackers we’ve ever seen. Butler’s aggressiveness off the bounce continues even now at the age of 30.
One of the few things Knicks fans are in agreement on is that it will be hard for Barrett to reach his potential with Julius Randle eating up possessions. New York will undoubtedly try and move on from Randle.
But RJ is too young to have the ball in his hands all game. Basketball-Reference states that Barrett had a usage percentage of 25 percent or higher in 22 games this season. New York’s record in those games was 5-17. It’s about finding a balance. That’s up to Thibodeau and team president Leon Rose.