Knicks’ RJ Barrett has found his stride from 3 in December

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Dec 21, 2022; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard RJ Barrett (9) celebrates after scoring in the fourth quarter against the Toronto Raptors at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

New York Knicks star forward RJ Barrett has finally regained his touch from outside the arc, having a great month of perimeter shooting in the Knicks’ most successful month so far this season.

December is a month of cold temperatures, but Barrett has been scorching hot of late. Despite the loss to the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday, Barrett scored 30 points – tied with Julius Randle for the team-high – and shot 11/19 from the field and 4/6 from long distance.

The Knicks are getting the best out of RJ Barrett this month:

Wednesday’s game was just one of what has been an extended stretch of stellar play from the fourth-year wing out of Duke.

Barrett has shot 37% from 3-point range in the month of December (10 games), a near nine percentage point improvement from the first two months of the season, as he shot just 28.1% from outside the arc in October and November combined.

His hot month has raised his overall shooting efficiencies to 42.3% from the field and 30.9% from 3, good enough for a true shooting percentage of 52.5%.

This is a great sign for the Knicks, as they have been patiently waiting for Barrett to break out and form a lethal combination of him, Jalen Brunson, and Julius Randle on the court.

Barrett spoke to reporters postgame Wednesday night and detailed what has been clicking offensively for him as well as the team overall.

“We’re playing together, we’re moving the ball. Everybody’s kind of learning each other, figuring each other out.”

RJ Barrett via New York Knicks

Well, the Knicks are certainly playing very well together, as prior to the loss on Wednesday, they had won eight consecutive games, which was tied for their second-highest winning streak since 2014.

The Knicks are 8-2 in the month of December, which is the second-best record in the NBA this month (only the Brooklyn Nets are better at 8-1).

Barrett and the Knicks will look to bounce back from Wednesday’s loss and get back to their winning ways when they take on the Chicago Bulls on Friday night at Madison Square Garden.

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