Steve Nash has seen plenty of New York Knicks rookie RJ Barrett thanks in part to the latter's participation with the Canadian national team. Nash is also Barrett's godfather, so there's a personal interest there.
The dime maestro sees some good playmaking chops from the Knicks youngster, something he envisions will only evolve with time:
“(Barrett’s) shown very much of what I thought he’d show. He’s an incredibly talented, well-rounded basketball player,” said Nash, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. “He does a bit of everything. I think he will evolve into a great playmaker because that’s a natural ability for him that he doesn’t necessarily get to shine in at this stage of his career and on this stage of this team.
“That’s exciting for Knicks fans that he still produces, he’s versatile, he can score. He’s growing defensively. And for me, he’s a natural playmaker and that hasn’t been a part of his upside yet that’s highlighted. So for the franchise, that’s exciting.”
Former Knicks head coach David Fizdale hinted about potentially playing Barrett at point guard when players like Elfrid Payton and Dennis Smith Jr. were still on the mend.
While he took a few reps at the position, his turnovers were partly a detriment, as Fizdale turned to Frank Ntilikina and other veterans to take the baton from there.
Barrett will only clean up that aspect of his game as he gets older, and he'll start to flash some more of that passing brilliance over time, just the way Nash believes he can.
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