‘SAVIOR’ ISN’T BORN
Analyst believes Barrett will be a ‘solid contributor’
Knicks rookie RJ Barrett completed summer league last weekend with a Las Vegas bang, posting 21 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds. After looking horrendous in the first two games, the former Duke stud got better with each one that followed.
But as his 33.8 overall shooting percentage in the five games showed, there were warts.
Nick Hauselman started a YouTube scouting channel eight years ago called “BBallBreakdown,” in which he uses analytics and dissects technique to determine future NBA potential of college players.
The Post asked Hauselman to get down and dirty on Barrett’s Vegas showing, and he reviewed film on all 125 of his possessions.
There was good and bad, and Hauselman can’t be confident the Knicks have an All-Star in their midst, forecasting an average rookie year.
“I think he can be a solid contributor for a long time,’’ Hauselman said. “I don’t know if we’ll see it this year. He’s not the savior that will add 10 wins.’’
Barrett shot 24 percent from beyond the 3-point line, but Hauselman thinks that will increase as a rookie.
“His 3-point shot is OK,’’ Hauselman said. “When he hops, he looked definitely smoother than when he does the 1-2 step.’’
The NBA 3-point average is in the 36 percent range.
“I bet he will shoot between 32-33 percent as a rookie,’’ Hauselman said. “It isn’t horrible for a rookie out of college.
“I’m encouraged,’’ Hauselman added of Barrett’s potential as a 3-point shooter. “I’m more concerned with him getting to the rim. His footwork, his polish. That’s going to be more concerning in my mind.’’
Indeed, that was the sentiment of several NBA scouts on hand who have wondered about Barrett’s transition from being Duke’s lefty slashing sniper to dealing with the NBA’s quicker defenses. It’s more of a natural gift — not as easy to work on as, say, 3-point shooting.
“I don’t think he was blowing by anybody,’’ Hauselman said. “His footwork wasn’t there. I feel like his drives are a little slow and mechanical. James Harden is not an elite athlete and look what he does. But Harden’s skill level is off the charts, and RJ’s still a step below that of Harden’s athletic ability.”
Hauselman forsees some ugly moments for Barrett on the drive — and that was his bread and butter at Duke.
“I sense we’re going to see drives to the basket where he’ll be stuck in the air, throw it up to get it there and it won’t be close,’’ Hauselman said. “He’ll be looking at the ref saying it was a foul and he’ll have to hustle back on defense.”
On the positive side, Hauselman said Barrett doesn’t get enough credit as a playmaker, especially off the pick-and-roll. Hauselman said his Twitter timeline was filled with fans complaining Barrett wasn’t passing enough, but the film said something different. The final three games, Barrett became a ball mover. He finished with 21 assists to 14 turnovers.
“I saw good passes,’’ Hauselman said. “He ran some pick-and-rolls, got [Mitchell] Robinson on a roll, threading the needle. Not like he’s going to be throwing crazy passes 50 feet into the corner for a 3, but I saw he made the appropriate pass. saw evidence he’s willing to pass.”