With both Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson already unavailable for Friday's contest against the New Orleans Pelicans, New York Knicks fans expect RJ Barrett to do most of the heavy lifting for the squad tonight. Well, that might actually not be the case for the Knicks after Barrett popped up on the injury report yet again. As such, the supporters want to know: Is RJ Barrett playing tonight vs. the Pelicans?

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RJ Barrett injury status vs. Pelicans

Barrett was initially listed as questionable to play due to a non-COVID illness. The Knicks star has missed his team's last two games because of this same issue, which is why it doesn't seem likely that he's going to suit up against the Pelicans.

Nevertheless, in a rather unexpected turn of events, the Knicks have now upgraded Barrett to available against the Pelicans, per team insider Steve Popper of Newsday Sports.

However, apart from Brunson, and Randle, the Knicks have also ruled Mitchell Robinson out for Friday's contest. With so many key players missing, it is clear that New York will come in as the underdogs against a New Orleans side that is still fighting for positioning out West.

The Knicks, on the other hand, are already locked in on the No. 5 seed in the conference, which only means that their last two remaining games actually do not have any bearing anymore, at least on paper. New York already has its sights set on a mouth-water first-round matchup against Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers, and it's likely that their key guys will also be rested on Sunday against the Indiana Pacers.

However, with regard to the question of Is RJ Barrett playing tonight vs. the Pelicans, the answer is yes.