The New York Knicks suffered a heartbreaking 122-115 loss in overtime to the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday, but it was quite a night for RJ Barrett. The Knicks youngster put up a career-high 36 points in 50 minutes of action and also scored the last five points of regulation to send the game to overtime.

In addition to Barrett's scoring exploits, he took it upon himself to guard LeBron James. While the Lakers star did work with a 29/13/10 triple-double, it was a good learning experience for Barrett. Plus, after the game, LeBron hyped up Barrett and revealed how he has been following the 21-year-old closely since his high school days, even working out with him in Toronto a few summers back.

Via Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News:

“I was like, ‘Absolutely,’” James said. “So, I’ve been knowing him quite a while. I followed him throughout those last few years of high school and obviously off to Duke and now as a Knick. So, he’s young, and you’re gonna have your bumps and bruises throughout the course of your career. When you’re young, you’re figuring out the game; you’re figuring out the speed; you’re figuring out the tempo and things of that nature. But I think he’s handled it extremely well, especially being in New York — it’s a different light and a different heat when you play for the Knicks, and I think he’s handled it extremely well.”

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That's some high praise from LeBron, though he's also right about the “bumps and bruises” part. While Barrett has shown flashes of stardom, he hasn't taken the leap this season many people were hoping to see, instead regressing a bit after a really strong Year 2. It's just one of the reasons why New York has been such a disappointment this season.

Barrett is averaging 17.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists while shooting 41.6% from the field and 35.3% from 3-point range. Those averages aren't bad, but the shooting percentages are not where he wants them to be.

The Knicks dropped to 24-29 on the season with their loss. This could wind up being a lost season for New York, but if Barrett has more nights like Saturday, there will be reason for optimism for the future.