New York Knicks fans finally cheered on draft night when they heard RJ Barrett’s name. Barrett wanted to come to New York and the city has welcomed him with open arms.
Now that Barrett is a Knick, he is ready to get to work. He has his eyes on winning Rookie of the Year. “Rookie of the Year is definitely important. It’s something I’ve been thinking about since I was a kid”, Barrett said in a interview with SNY’s Stefan Bondy.
When the most recent class of NBA rookies took their rookie survey, Barrett only received two votes for ROY. He said, “Being the Canadian kid, I’ve kind of been doubted my whole life. So I’m just used to it now.” Barrett did not receive any other votes from his rookies in any category. Sad.
Barrett did mention that no one is going to remember that survey. But, he is going to use not receiving any votes, for basically everything, as fuel for his career.
Being doubted is probably the best thing for a young 19-year-old in the NBA. Well, New York fans aren’t doubting him, but others are. If anything, Knicks fans have Barrett’s back more than any other rookie since Patrick Ewing.
As long as he has the support of the Knicks faithful, that’s all he should care about. He got more support from his ecstatic demeanor on draft night when chosen by the Knicks. Having the support of Knicks fans is like having his own mini army. Fans will go to battle for him.
You can expect great things from someone with Barrett’s athletic ability and determination. You never hear a player, let alone a 19-year-old rookie, saying they want to play in New York. That takes guts. Imagine if Barrett exceeds expectations. He could be a Knicks legend.