New York Knicks rookie small forward RJ Barrett will play for Team Canada in its Olympic qualifying tournament from June 23-28 that will be hosted in Victoria, British Columbia.
His head coach, David Fizdale, is thrilled by the news.
“I love it,” Fizdale told Marc Berman of the New York Post. “I think those experiences really help those guys. It gives them an opportunity to see how other very good basketball players work and you're playing against the best in the world.”
Barrett will use the Olympic qualifying tournament to work on his game and become a more polished basketball player for the Knicks. Fizdale loves that Barrett is passionate about the game of basketball and representing his country along the way.
Entering Wednesday, Barrett is averaging 15.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. The lefty is shooting 41.3 percent from the field, 34.7 percent from beyond the arc and 49.4 percent from the free-throw line.
Barrett has to get his free-throw shooting percentage up. A scorer like him can't shoot that putrid from the charity stripe.
The Knicks are 4-13 on the season. They are not expected to make the playoffs this season. This year is all about developing Barrett, Dennis Smith Jr., Kevin Knox, Mitchell Robinson and Allonzo Trier
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