'People Will Hate,' But NBA Trainer Lauds Knicks' RJ Barrett
New York Knicks small forward RJ Barrett has been one of the most scrutinized and discussed names in recent professional basketball memory, his journey beginning as the third overall pick of the 2019 draft.
The debate over Barrett's career and trajectory has intensified over the past week after the NBA posted a video of the fifth-year man working out with Drew Hanlen, his trainer.
Barrett received some backlash from fanatical critics for mere simple drills. However, Hanlen, who has also helped train All-Stars like Bradley Beal, Joel Embiid, and Zach LaVine, explained that the video was taken shortly after Barrett arrived at the gym.
"When we try to wake up his muscles and warm up, we do drills in slow motion and then go fast to exceed his body," Hanlen said on the "Big Knick Energy" podcast. "He'll go from real slow to dunking and everybody says 'look how slow RJ is' even though he pulled up to the gym five minutes ago. Instead of us touching our toes, we start slow with methodical movements then go into exploding and dunking."
Hanlen disagreed with Barrett's narrative given by the NBA observer community, but said that it won't go away until the 2019 third overall pick adds some hardware to his shelf.
"People are going to continue to hate on him until some of these accolades roll in," Hanlen said. "If he ends his career with a couple of All-Star appearances and a championship, he’ll be really proud of what he was able to accomplish.”
However, Barrett, set to compete for Canada at the upcoming FIBA Basketball World Cup, hasn't been the only Knicks player being blamed for the team's shortcomings. Earlier this month, Knicks shooting guard Quentin Grimes called out the NBA community for constantly blaming teammate Julius Randle for their playoff losses.
“I think there’s a certain narrative around him, which I think is total bulls--t honestly," Grimes said. "He cares a lot about this team. He does everything he can possibly [do] to make sure his body is right, to make sure he’s in the best shape possible to make sure he can give it all. So that’s my dog. It just shows how much he wants to win.”
Barrett and Randle were two of the most important players to the Knicks' best record since 2012-13, as they averaged a combined 44.7 points per game last season.
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