3 reasons the future is bright for the New York Knicks
By Duncan Smith
2. Their solid foundation
The New York Knicks are known for never retaining their first-round picks, to a surrealistic comical degree. In fact, the last first-round pick the Knicks re-signed to a second contract once their rookie deal ended was Charlie Ward, who they drafted in 1994.
It looks like that streak will end with RJ Barrett, who has suddenly turned into a player. He’s posting career-best numbers across the board in his second season, averaging 17.3 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists with shooting splits of .445/.359/.734, and over the last 40 games Barrett has absolutely surged after a slow start:
We now have a 40 game sample (since 1/13) of RJ Barrett producing a 47/43/75 slash line.
— DJ (@DJAceNBA) April 6, 2021
More than a few experts may have to eat some crow if Barrett continues to keep up this rate of production. He’s getting every opportunity to play big minutes, averaging 34.0 per game, and he’s made the most of them.
In addition to their own homegrown talent, they also have a legitimate star in Julius Randle. He plays a mini-Giannis Antetokounmpo (with a jump shot) role of sorts, averaging 22.9 points, 10.8 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game while shooting 46.4 percent from the floor and 40.9 from 3-point range.
When the Knicks get the opportunity to add more top-end talent, these are two of the franchise cornerstones that will already be in place.