New York Knicks rookie RJ Barrett has made it clear that he plans to win Rookie of the Year award next season.
In an interview with Marc Berman of the New York Post, Barrett believes that he can outperform the rest of his fellow rookies next season, including the two players who were selected ahead of him: Zion Williamson and Ja Morant.
“I’m not going to say that I don’t want it,’’ Barrett said. “I’m definitely going for rookie of the year for sure, it’s going to be a battle. But I’m confident enough that I can get it.”
Prior to the emergence of Williamson, Barrett was considered as the best collegiate player in the US. The 18-year-old forward averaged 22.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 38 games for the Blue Devils in the NCAA last season. The Knicks drafted him with the third overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.
Barrett clearly has the potential, but he also needs to work on some aspects of his game. One of the things that he needs to improve on is his 3-point shooting, having shot only 30 percent from beyond the arc in his lone collegiate year.
Barrett has also been dubbed as a ball hog and a volume shooter, and that needs to change in the pros as well. For a rebuilding team like the Knicks, it is important for its players to share the basketball to be more effective on the court.
At this point, it is unclear if the Knicks will get any marquee free agent this summer. If they somehow end up empty-handed, Barrett will definitely be the face of the franchise — which means he will have a ton of responsibility, as he is expected to lead one of the most prominent NBA franchises to success.
Confidence is not something that he's lacking though, and that's a good start.
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