NBA Exec Claims Knicks 'Don't Know' How to Use RJ Barrett
A young, famous ... albeit fictional ... New Yorker was that with great power comes great responsibility.
One anonymous NBA executive thinks the New York Knicks don't wield the responsibility necessary for a potential young power like RJ Barrett.
Speaking to Sean Deveney of Heavy.com, the exec does not sound enthused about Barrett's fit in the Knicks' immediate future, which would be troubling enough without the caveats of his arrival as the third overall pick of the 2019 draft and a $107 million contract extension bestowed last summer.
“He did not seem to know how to handle playing with Jalen Brunson, and that is a concern," the exec said. "He has had trouble adjusting to his role at every turn and the Knicks don’t always seem to know what to do with him. They’ve tried him at the 2, they’ve tried him at the 3, they had him trying to run point for a bit a while back, and he just has not found a good fit."
"He’s the No. 3 option on that team now and that has been a tough adjustment. You’d like to see him excel in his role but that has not been the case for him at all."
The past calendar year has been a roller-coaster for Barrett: his name was frequently listed in hypothetical trades for then-Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell. His extension was instead announced minutes before Mitchell's move to Cleveland was announced. Over 73 regular season appearances, Barrett struggled to gain any sort of rhythm, leading to minor yet noticeable dips in nearly all his statistical averages. Barrett's defense also got no better, but the Knicks nonetheless won 47 games and locked up the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference.
Redemption awaited Barrett in the postseason, as he helped Brunson handle the Knicks' offensive load with Julius Randle injured and struggling. Though he struggled in the final hour (1-of-10 from the field despite 11 first quarter points in the Game 6 loss to Miami in the Eastern Conference Semifinals), Barrett had six games with at least 20 points, all coming in a seven-game stretch that included the clinching victory over Cleveland in the opening round.
While Barrett was no doubt for postseason memories both good and bad, his future in New York is anything but a certainty.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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