The alarm was sounding early for RJ Barrett, but the sophomore put forth a debut performance for the New York Knicks that reaffirmed his future stardom.
You didn’t have to look hard to find the good in RJ Barrett’s first season with the New York Knicks. He was the only one from the class of 2019 to average at least 14 points, five rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. He was fourth among first-years in scoring and third in nightly free-throw attempts.
Unfortunately, most of the positives he produced shared the spotlight with the bad, of which there was plenty on a Knicks team that finished 12th in the east.
Barrett’s pre-draft shooting concerns were validated as he shot just 32.0 percent from downtown and a putrid 61.4 percent from the free-throw line. As any fan will tell you, New York failed to properly space the court for its prized youngster, deforming the drives in which his game was predicated into a cluttered mess.
Such struggles are par for the course of any 19-year-old. But as the No. 3 pick, Barrett was held to a higher standard, specifically one of those selected before him.
Zion Williamson filled up stat sheets and highlight reels upon debuting in January. Ja Morant built a Rookie of the Year campaign by having his Memphis Grizzlies exceed expectations. RJ couldn’t even make his way onto either All-Rookie First Team, overtaken by two undrafted guards and a second-round pick.
To make matters worse, Tyler Herro, the next two-guard taken in the lottery at 13th overall, blossomed into a crucial component to Miami’s run to the Finals, leading some to believe his future shined brighter than Barrett’s.
It didn’t matter that Herro was in an objectively better environment playing off of two All-Stars and several high-level pieces for one of the game’s best strategists. Barrett was the higher pick. That he failed to play like it was supposedly an indictment on his present and future instead of the court time he shared with Julius Randle, Elfrid Payton and Taj Gibson.
Knicks fans: Would you rather have RJ Barrett or Tyler Herro?
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) September 24, 2020
Randle and Payton remained right alongside Barrett in the starting five to open the new season in Indiana. But Barrett seemingly took it upon himself to improve his stock instead of waiting for his circumstances to do that for him.
He went for 26 points, eight rebounds and five assists in New York’s 121-107 loss to the Pacers. Despite getting to the line only twice, Barrett made amends by shooting 11-of-15 from the field and, more importantly, nailing all three of his 3-point attempts. He committed a single turnover in over 34 minutes.
This wasn’t the product of an unusually hot touch or favorable matchup against a porous defense — Indiana was sixth last season. This was Barrett showcasing the abilities that make him such a bright young talent.
Get him moving downhill and you see the shiftiness Barrett possesses going headstrong towards the basket, in this case side-stepping around Justin Holiday before finishing with a rare right-handed layup.
Cut off his driving lane and Barrett is disciplined enough to pull back and weigh other options. Those alternatives often times include the bullish strength of a 214-pound frame that’s strong enough to clear Victor Oladipo out of the path for a layup.
Even in the off-ball moments he’s still growing accustomed to, it’s important for Barrett to fire without hesitation when swung the ball beyond the arc. It’s the only way for him to ramp up the development of such shots with in-game reps. He never gave a second thought to any of his 3-point tries in this one.
The only downside of Barrett’s outing was how much room there was for more. 20 of his 26 points came in the first half on perfect 8-of-8 shooting. But a first-half usage ranked third-highest among Knicks dropped nearly nine points to finish sixth on the team in the latter 24 minutes.
“Every time you have a big first half like he did you’re going to get more attention,” Tom Thibodeau said after the game. “When that happens, your responsibility is to make plays. Then we got a little out of rhythm. So we’ll take a look at that and we’ll figure out some other things. Hopefully, we can ride the hot hand.”
Zion and Ja are leading playoff pushes for their respective teams. Herro’s smooth outside stroke makes him far more conducive to the complementary role many rookies take early on, earning him north of 30 minutes a night in the postseason.
None of what they accomplish should have any bearing on the verdicts made about Barrett’s future — which are already inherently flawed in a career that only just began Year 2. Each player operates independently from the other.
Barrett’s development might take place on a modified scale with different benchmarks. New York’s questionable competence when it comes to team-building is likely to elongate that process quite a bit.
But if last night was any indication — coupled however much with encouraging preseason play — Barrett might not need the perfect surroundings to help him reach star status.
He just needs time. And maybe less than we thought.