The New York Knicks look a whole lot different now than they did at the same time last year, and one of their former cornerstones has opened up in a recently published interview about his time in the Big Apple and his contentment with where he’s at now.
RJ Barrett reflects on his time in the Big Apple
David Stol of Sharp Magazine spoke with former Knicks and current Toronto Raptors small forward RJ Barrett. Stol shared this reflection from the Duke University product about what he cherished about New York and how things have shifted now that he’s in Toronto (h/t Jordanna Clark of Daily Knicks):
“There are a few things I miss, sure,” he says, reminiscing on his time with New York. “Mostly, I miss my boys over there, the relationships you build over time. And the fans. That pressure was really special. But there’s a different kind of pressure coming back to Toronto — coming back home — that I feel blessed to have.”
Knicks: RJ Barrett helped the Knicks regain prominence while facing pressure in New York
Barrett did face great pressure while donning the orange and blue. After getting drafted No. 3 overall in 2019, the 24-year-old quickly became the Knicks’ No. 2 option behind Julius Randle as they led New York out of NBA darkness back into playoff contention starting in 2020-21.
The Canadian young talent did face scrutiny for his inefficient shooting in his and their first playoff berth that year, having played below his talent level in their 4-1 series loss to the Atlanta Hawks. However, he grew on the fans at Madison Square Garden as time drew on, which was seen at even greater heights at the end of the 2022-23 campaign as well as the first 26 games he played in 2023-24 for the Knicks on his way to becoming a fan favorite.
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Barrett raised his play to career levels in the second half of 2023-24 with the Raptors
Albeit, playing in front of his hometown crowd in Toronto has admittedly affected him in a positive way. The proof in the pudding showed that, over his final 32 games played last season, Barrett raised his field goal percentage to 55.3 percent in that span.
His 49.5 percent clip on the season was a 5.4 percent increase from his previous career-high (44.1 FG pct.) back in 2020-21. He scored a personal best 21.8 points per night and much of his newfound success to that point could be attributed to playing where he’s from and before his biggest supporters.
Barrett attesting to the positive relationships that he was able to build with his teammates in New York shows that the Knicks have a healthy culture internally, which could accelerate the chemistry building they’ll need to undertake prior to the season opener, with the group of guys they do have.
There has been no reported ill will between himself and the Knicks front office, nor any disdain held by him or any player on the Knicks’ roster following his midseason trade last year, up until now. Thus, it is safe to say that all parties wish nothing but the best for each other, unless of course, the Knicks and Raptors square off in the playoffs next spring.
