The New York Knicks went into the 2019-20 season with middling hopes and expectations. Signing numerous second-tier free agents to help bolster the team and increase their offensive production will surely add a few more wins to their 17-win benchmark set just one year ago.
To aid their struggling franchise, the Knicks drafted RJ Barrett out of Duke with the third overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft. A player that would’ve been the number one overall pick given Zion Williamson didn’t take over the college basketball stage by storm, Barrett is a solid choice and will be a significant piece to the puzzle moving forward.
Averaging 22.6 points and 4.3 assists per game with the Blue Devils attests to Barrett’s ability to not only score points but also move the ball around the floor. His willingness to pass and open up shots for teammates is an underrated attribute that he should be commended for. The Knicks can easily justify starting him immediately and giving him plenty of time to develop and expand on an already-existing skillset.
The New York Knicks built a reliable team around RJ Barrett:
With players like Julius Randle and Marcus Morris to help mentor him and refine his abilities, Barrett can jump right into regular minutes and learn on the go. However, some might argue that playing him off the bench may allow him to adapt to the physicality and speed of the NBA at a more personal pace.
Being that playing time is essential to growth, I believe that Barrett’s best chance of developing quickly is to start immediately. He will have players like Dennis Smith Jr., Randle, Morris, and Mitchell Robinson playing around him and feeding him the ball. Also, the youth on the team, including Kevin Knox gives him a confident feeling on the season. He’s not far off from players like Knox who were struggling as rookies just last year.
In fact, he’s in a much better place with the current next team than the rookies were last year.