A new year means new expectations, especially for a young talent such as RJ Barrett. Will he break out into the All-Star the Knicks are hoping for?
Since RJ Barrett was drafted No.3 overall to the Knicks back in 2019 he’s been looked at to potentially be the cornerstone of this franchise one day. Now, he has been a very solid player for this ball club but coming into 2022 it might be time for him to take this next step to stardom. Over the past 2 and half seasons R.J Barrett has averaged 15.9 ppg while shooting 42% from the field and 35.9 % from behind the arc. He’s an improving jump shooter that can slash to the basket and score. But the main road block that Barrett has run into so far in his career is consistency.
Next Level Time
Barrett is one of those streaky players that can play at a high level when he’s in the groove. But, he can also be ice cold when he’s struggling. At the beginning of this season there was a 5 game stretch between October 28th-November 5th where he was averaging 25ppg while shooting better than 53% from the field. Since then, he’s only passed the 20 point marker twice. That includes a 26 point performance in the loss to the Thunder on Friday night. In addition, he has shown how good of a defender he can be playing under Tom Thibodeau. But, the team needs him to be more of a force offensively on a game by game basis.
Even though he has youth on his side and has shown improvement, the Knicks drafted him to be a game changer and revamp this franchise. As he continues his 3rd season and starts his 4th season with the Knicks later this year, it’s important that Barrett takes his game to another level and proves that he can be a star in this league. He has the tools to take the next step. But, he needs to show it to the world and especially to the Knicks organization.
The time is now.
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NEW YEAR NEW BARRETT NEW YEAR NEW BARRETT
