Game ‘easier’ for improved Barrett during strong start
BOSTON — Heading into Monday’s games, here’s the list of players with as many minutes as RJ Barrett and a better net rating: Jayson Tatum.
That’s it. That’s the list. Barrett, surging through the opening three weeks but out of Monday’s 114-98 loss to the Celtics with migraines, has been the Knicks common thread between great minutes from the starters and great minutes from the bench. He’s turned a corner in so many areas — 3-point shooting, decision-making, finishing at the rim — that the sample size feels more significant than just seven appearances.
“It’s a great start,” Tom Thibodeau said. “One of the things I love about him is he’s 23 years old. He’s young. He’s gonna keep getting better, building consistency is probably the biggest challenge. We’re seeing that now, but understand that there’s still a lot more to go into this and to improve upon, so I don’t want to put a ceiling on anything that he does. I think he can keep getting better and I think he will.”
There are several reasons that could explain Barrett’s improvement, but they all fall under the umbrella of real player development.
It happens — as it’s happening with Mitchell Robinson simultaneously — when an organization drafts a player, identifies that player as worthy of commitment, re-signs the player, then keeps him in the same system — under the same coach — for several years.
If this sounds unfamiliar to Knicks fans, it’s because it hadn’t previously occurred in the current millennium. Last year, Barrett became the first Knicks first-round pick to re-sign off his rookie deal since Charlie Ward in 1999. And with his four-year, nine-figure extension kicking in this season, Barrett, through seven games (he has missed three games total), averaged 22.6 points on 49 percent shooting (50 percent from beyond the arc). He owned the highest 3-point percentage of any player in the NBA averaging over 20 points.
“I just think I have a little better rhythm and, of course, I think I’m growing as a player,” Barrett said. “It’s a system that I’ve been able to be in for a little bit. It’s kind of easy because I understand and know the reads, and so do my teammates, and we’re kinda all just working together right now.” Thibodeau agreed.
“He’s getting a much better feel for things. He’s seeing different types of defenses,” the coach said. “Sometimes he’s being blitzed. Sometimes people are going under [the screens]. Some teams are switching. He’s starting to feel real comfortable attacking everything and he’s playing off people a lot better. He’s moving without the ball, he’s getting some easy buckets, and I think that goes a long way.”
Barrett’s reputation was rooted in inefficiency. In three of his four first NBA years — excluding an exquisite pandemic season — Barrett was among the bottom in the NBA in effective field-goal percentage.
Last season felt like a step backwards after Barrett finished with a slash line of .434/.310/.740 and a net rating of -1.2. He was the only Knicks starter with a negative net rating.
But the Canadian was also avoiding summer basketball in 2022 because of contract negotiations. He came into last season cold — fresh off being dangled in trade talks for Donovan Mitchell — and it showed.
Barrett ultimately recovered with a strong playoffs and FIBA World Cup in September. He said the Team Canada experience helped flush mistakes out of his system.
“I’m not in better shape. I think my summer was a little different. I played a little bit more basketball, as opposed to basically not playing at all last year,” Barrett said. “I get to play, make mistakes. Like in FIBA, when we played France, I was absolutely terrible. Played Brazil, I was horrible. I had four, five points, stuff like that. So, you kinda get to get some of those games out of the way. It’s easier.”
“Easier” is a good word to describe Barrett’s fifth season heading into Monday. The game looks slower, simpler. A product of development, familiarity and experience.
His biggest problem is availability — with two prior games missed due to knee soreness — but the migraines were expected to be gone by Wednesday in Washington.
“I think just my pace has been a lot better, knowing kind of when to go fast, when to slow down. I think that’s what’s helped me with my decision-making,” Barrett said. “It’s not college. You can’t go 100 percent speed the whole time.”