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The New York Knicks are in the midst of a void-filling offseason that should be enough for them to return to the NBA playoffs next season. Now they need a new dimension to their operation, and that comes from their 2019 first-round draft pick, RJ Barrett, making the jump to stardom.
Barrett has gradually improved over his two years in the NBA. In his rookie season, the Duke product flashed an ability to score in isolation, defend and rebound, averaging 14.3 points and five rebounds per game. However, he struggled with his efficiency with the Knicks, shooting 40.2 percent from the field and 32.0 percent from beyond the arc.
This past season, Barrett made strides. He was more assertive with the ball in his hands, served as more of a scorer and drastically improved his efficiency. Barrett finished the 2020-21 season, one which saw the Knicks grab the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference, averaging 17.6 points and 5.8 rebounds per game while shooting 44.1 percent from the field and 40.1 percent from beyond the arc.
Barrett is a legitimate and productive two-way player. The 2021-22 season needs to be his breakout season. How is that measured? Him becoming a clear-cut isolation and go-to scorer.
The Knicks' offense was severely reliant on Julius Randle and Derrick Rose finding a way in the paint off the dribble down the stretch of last season. Barrett can score, but he has been a scorer in bunches. At times, he got around his hot-and-cold isolation play with his outside shooting. When push comes to shove in crunch time, you have to be able to create separation in the halfcourt. Barrett hasn't consistently done that.
It's entirely feasible to expect a player to make a noticeable jump from year two to three in their respective NBA career. For Barrett, it's a matter of whether he becomes an enhanced version of himself or an offensive pillar with the ball in his hands.
Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau has a rotation, specifically a starting five, that complements itself nicely.
Kemba Walker gives the Knicks someone who can create their own shot and score from all over the floor. Evan Fournier is a shooting scorer who stretches the floor and scores at a steady rate. Randle showcased an ability to be a high-level scorer inside and out last season. Centers Nerlens Noel and Mitchell Robinson finish inside and defend the rim at a high level. Barrett is a scrappy, slashing scorer who can stick outside jump shots.
Off the bench, the Knicks have a superb scoring backcourt in Derrick Rose and Immanuel Quickley. Alec Burks is a proven shooter. Obi Toppin has hops and can put the ball on the floor. Whichever one of Noel and Robinson doesn't start essentially picks up where the other left off.
As is, the Knicks have a depth chart that should be shooting to avoid the NBA Play-In Tournament, meaning being no worse than the sixth seed. The NBA-champion Milwaukee Bucks, Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers and Atlanta Hawks are more dynamic than the Knicks while the Miami Heat recently picked up Kyle Lowry and are a year removed from winning the East.
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The Knicks' job is to fend off bounce-back candidates like the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers and keep competitive teams with upside like the Chicago Bulls, Charlotte Hornets and Washington Wizards at bay.
Simply put: the East is getting better. The Knicks have to simultaneously make progress structurally and in the standings while the competition around them stiffens. It's a tall order but one that is lessened by someone in the building making a jump in impact like Randle did last year.
Any team that aspires to win an NBA championship needs multiple players they can give the ball to in the clutch. Randle is that player for the Knicks, and Walker is a viable option beside him. Imagine if Barrett becomes such an option, too? That would mean the Knicks have a trio of players who can drop 20 points a night while having the shooting and big men to stretch the floor and capitalize when the ball-hander gets double-teamed.
Speaking of double-teams, Randle wouldn't be the sole focus of defenses' attention. Teams would have to respect the scoring ability of three players, not to mention Fournier is a proven scorer, too.
Thibodeau and his coaching staff put on a clinic last season when it came to developing players. At the end of the day, though, there's only so much a coach can do to get a player to become a star. Barrett has the potential and upside to become a star, especially given his physicality and improved jump shot.
Continued gradual improvements from Barrett gives the Knicks a player to keep around for the long haul. On the other hand, Barrett becoming a franchise player takes the Knicks from being a first-round headache with second-round potential to a team that's competing to win the East.
The 2021-22 New York Knicks will go as RJ Barrett goes.
