New York Knicks rookie RJ Barrett is locked into ‘The Last Dance’. He’s admiring Michael Jordan’s drive and determination to be the best.
In an interview with Scott Van Pelt, Barrett said, “Jordan was always my dad’s favorite player,’’ Barrett said. “So my dad, growing up, every day he would be like, “RJ, watch Michael Jordan. Watch what he does.†This is what Knicks fans want to hear. A young Barrett soaking in how Jordan plays the game.
Now, we aren’t sure if this next quote from Barrett is actual real but we hope it is.  After watching The Last Dance Barrett said this about fellow Knicks teammate, Julius Randle. “I’m going to beat the s*** out of him in practice once the season returns.â€
Barrett doesn’t seem like the person that would say something like this. He’s a nice, well-mannered professional for his age. Hard to believe that the Knicks first-year guard would say this about a teammate. Even if he did say it, maybe he was joking. We’ll never know.
But for the fun of it, we’ll going to assume this is an accurate statement. This could be exactly what Randle needs. A young, fiery rookie coming to beat you up to make you a better player and teammate. The Knicks need Barrett to actually do that, whether that quote is real or not.
Someone needs to get in Randle’s face and give him that kick in the a** like Jordan did to his teammates. That was when Joran got the best out of them. The Knicks don’t have a player pushing others to get better. Barrett can be that guy.
Randle tried to take it all upon himself this season to be the guy. That especially was the case once the Knicks traded Marcus Morris to the Clippers. And while his stats were solid, it was the ball hogging and one-on-one situations that got fans furious.
Barrett needs to embody everything he saw from Jordan as kid and now in There Last Dance’. Even though he’s a rookie, the New York Knicks need him to be the leader of the team going forward.