Rj Barrett was the 3rd pick in the 2019 NBA draft and had a great college year at Duke where he
averaged 22.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 4.3 assists. His shooting splits were 45.6 from the field, 30.6
from three, and 66.5 from the line. He was rumored to be the top pick in the draft but fell to three due to
the likes of Zion and Ja Morant.
Coming into a dysfunctional Knicks organization with a bad head coach, it was tough for RJ to adapt. In
his first season, he averaged 14.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.6 assists off of 40 from the field, 32 from
three, and 61.4 percent from the line.
Although these are not horrendous stats for the player he was set to be, it was not pretty either. His
percentages were highly inefficient and he was very inconsistent. I do not blame him for how the team
was coached and also how the spacing on the floor went. RJ Barrett was never able to drive that much due
to the clogged paint and older players taking over.
Over his second year, the Knicks organization took over new management and a new coaching staff. With
a dispelled coach like this, there was not room for bad game play. So far this season, RJ Barrett is
averaging 17.2 points, 3 assists, and 5.7 rebounds off of improved shooting splits. He is shooting 44.7
percent from the field, 37.7 percent from three and 73.7 percent from the line. As you can see, his stats
went up a tad but the shooting numbers are where the improvement was. He is scoring efficiently now
and confidently, which is where the improvement takes place.
What also comes into play is that the NYK are winning games now. Julius Randle has taken charge, and
this is causing RJ to wreak havoc on other teams. He is hitting clutch shots confidently, doing so against
teams like Boston, the Raptors, and the Grizzlies: hitting game tying threes in the final minutes.
Since the all star break, RJ Barrett is averaging 20.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.1 assists off of 47 percent
from the field and 44 percent from 3. As you can see again, RJ is averaging more points off of even better
shooting splits.
RJ Barrett has been majorly disrespected as a player, as he was left out of the all rookie team last year. He
said to ESPN, “I now have a chip on my shoulder.”
