![]() It might have taken longer than some would have liked, but it’s finally happened. Would the Knicks really give that up for bigger name who might not even win them that long-coveted NBA championship? And there’s still room for him to be even better. Moving Barrett and getting a superstar plus plenty of draft capital wouldn’t cripple New York at all.Įxcept if the Knicks were to trade Barrett, wouldn’t they only be cheating themselves? He’s playing the best basketball of his career and finally looks like the complete talent they hoped for on NBA Draft Night years ago. The Knicks probably wouldn’t hesitate in such a trade either. Other teams notice this too, as Barrett’s name has been dangled in a potential Joel Embiid trade. He just kept showing up and playing his game, and that was enough to force Game 6 of the East Semis. It wasn’t much, but averaging 19.3 points and inching his three-point game up to nearly 33% made a difference. Barrett had a streaky regular season in which his range suffered most, shooting just 31% from three.Ĭut to the playoffs, with Randle hobbled by a bum ankle, and Barrett shifted into a new gear. His performance in the playoffs last year is a perfect example. He’s had the same mentality and approach to every game that I’ve been his teammate.” “I think the biggest difference is that there isn’t a difference,” Knicks point guard and teammate Jalen Brunson said Sunday. This is because no matter what, RJ Barrett shows up and plays. Nor is he particularly injury prone or someone who makes a lot of mistakes. He isn’t prone to moody, heady emotions on the court like his teammate Julius Randle at times. Barrett’s focus and determination has always been his best quality. 2 or 3 guy? An elite defender and/or three-and-D?Īs it turns out, the answer might be all of the above and for one reason. Would he be a team’s primary scorer? A solid No. As a fresh-faced, 19-year-old rookie, nobody knew what to expect. He’s in the first season of a four-year, $107 million extension signed in 2022.Īnd anyone who’s followed Barrett’s basketball journey from Canada to Duke to New York knows how much this means. He had 23 points and seven rebounds in Canada’s third-place upset of Team USA.īest of all is Knicks fans can look forward to seeing plenty more of RJ Barrett. What’s more amazing is that unlike teammate Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart, Barrett is doing this without any clear rust from the FIBA World Cup. He has also shown marked improvement on defense. ![]() The former Duke Blue Devil is averaging 22.6 points per game while shooting 48.7% from the field and an amazing 50% from three. If he wants to distance himself from the Mamba label, maybe he should do a better job of, you know, not channelling Bryant on the court.īarrett, who the Knicks drafted third overall back in 2019, is off to the best start of his career in 2023-24, his fifth season. Now, while I would never call the Knicks’ young wing by that nickname to his face, I will at least say this much. RJ Barrett hates being called the “Maple Mamba” in comparison to the late, great Kobe Bryant.
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