Official RJ Barrett Thread

[YogurtProducer]

I mean i'll be honest, if Brunson was on our team he'd be the #1 option here, even over Barnes.

It might be just a Thibs issue.

It also was a huge change in role for RJ. He is averaging the least amount of shots sine his sophomore season (per 36, averaging 2 less shots here than he was in NYK

The mid range also went from about 13% of his shots to 3% here.

So:

1) better shot selection
2) taking less shots (so probably less bad shots
3) probably unsustainable 3 point shooting

The weird part in all this from a statistical standpoint (this season) is it's like we traded Siakam and got back Siakam.

For their respective teams that traded for them (this season) RJ and Siakam are posting eerily similar stats.

Yeah it is weird. RJ seems to score more "easy" baskets whereas everything Siakam does looks hard lol

LEss than 50% of Siakams 2's are assisted, Barrett is at 64% here (which btw - was at 39% while in NY)

[ArthurVandelay]

I think RJ has a very successful career with Raptors that eventually sees him as a 6MOY

Don’t know why people are down on him. Everything Knicks fans ever wanted him to change he’s done in Toronto.

[WuTang_OG]

RJ was supposed to be a negative asset, but (for this season at least) he's been a positive one.

I wonder if being traded to his hometown factored in his willingness to listen to change up his shot selection better, either that or the Knicks were just a terrible fit for him.

moreso terrible fit due to brunson and randle hogging it. RJ is picking his spots way better because he knows he will get the ball back. The shooting like most players will seperate good to great .. so he will need to really work on it this off-season

I mean i'll be honest, if Brunson was on our team he'd be the #1 option here, even over Barnes.

It might be just a Thibs issue.

Randle especially never really fit with RJ.

[MEDIC]

The Knicks were trash when they drafted RJ. They finished outside of play-in range 2 of his first 3 years. He was the high draft pick in a good draft & was supposed to be the savior for NY.

You get a new high end draft pick, what are you supposed to do? Let him take shots. Let him take lots of shots that are outside his comfort zone. Allow him to develop as the potential #1 option.

Eventually they sign a guy who is 4 years older & hitting his stride in the NBA. RJ is no longer in the plans as the #1 option & isn't a great fit with Randle/ Brunson.

RJ gets a fresh start in a new system where he has a clear role. The number one guy is more of a facilitator than a scorer. The roster also fits him a lot better. He is touted as part of a young core that is building towards something.

I don't think it's rocket science really.

RJ is still young & will continue to work on his game. I think Darko is a good communicator & lets these guys know what he envisions for them.

I am not concerned about RJ moving forward. He has good teammates, a supportive coach & really good friends and family around him. Plus, he's a worker.

Raptors fans should just forget what happened in NY. It's a clean slate. I looked at his college stats & his scoring, rebounding & assist numbers are crazy close to what they are now with the Raps.

Duke:
35.3 min
22.6 PPG
4.3 Assists
7.6 Reb

Raptors:
(Per 36)
22.7 PPG
4.4 Assists
6.7 Reb

He has definitely improved since his days at Duke, his shooting %'s are way up with the Raptors. He is also playing with another big forward like Zion who can rebound and play bully ball. Scottie is probably an even better fit for him because he has court vision & can pass. RJ also didn't have a PG like Quick to play with at Duke, which is another plus for his game. This team seems to be a perfect fit for him.

[LoveMyRaps]

Damn man, a lot of y'all owe this man a sincere apology.

[RoteSchroder]

The Knicks were trash when they drafted RJ. They finished outside of play-in range 2 of his first 3 years. He was the high draft pick in a good draft & was supposed to be the savior for NY.

You get a new high end draft pick, what are you supposed to do? Let him take shots. Let him take lots of shots that are outside his comfort zone. Allow him to develop as the potential #1 option.

Eventually they sign a guy who is 4 years older & hitting his stride in the NBA. RJ is no longer in the plans as the #1 option & isn't a great fit with Randle/ Brunson.

RJ gets a fresh start in a new system where he has a clear role. The number one guy is more of a facilitator than a scorer. The roster also fits him a lot better. He is touted as part of a young core that is building towards something.

I don't think it's rocket science really.

RJ is still young & will continue to work on his game. I think Darko is a good communicator & lets these guys know what he envisions for them.

I am not concerned about RJ moving forward. He has good teammates, a supportive coach & really good friends and family around him. Plus, he's a worker.

Raptors fans should just forget what happened in NY. It's a clean slate. I looked at his college stats & his scoring, rebounding & assist numbers are crazy close to what they are now with the Raps.

Duke:
35.3 min
22.6 PPG
4.3 Assists
7.6 Reb

Raptors:
(Per 36)
22.7 PPG
4.4 Assists
6.7 Reb

He has definitely improved since his days at Duke, his shooting %'s are way up with the Raptors. He is also playing with another big forward like Zion who can rebound and play bully ball. Scottie is probably an even better fit for him because he has court vision & can pass. RJ also didn't have a PG like Quick to play with at Duke, which is another plus for his game. This team seems to be a perfect fit for him.

I've been a fan of smart, team-oriented b-ball for a long time, which is one of the things I like about Darko (even though this style didn't really fit with the initial team we had). RJ's shooting profile on Knicks vs Raps:

1) Cutting down on bad shots and reducing shooting volume

Catch and Shoot 3's
Knicks: 1.5/4.4, 35.1%
Raps: 1.5/3.6, 41.7%

Pull Up Shots
Knicks: 0.1/0.4, 20% on 3's (0.4/1.7, 24.4% overall)
Raps: 0/0.1, 41.7% on 3's (0.2/0.5, 43.8% overall)


2) Increasing usage in the paint

Paint touches
Knicks: 44.2 touches, 0.6/0.9 66.7%
Raps: 58.6 touches, 1.4/2.1 70%

Drives
Knicks: 10.2 drives per game, 2.1/5.4, 38.6%
Raptors: 12.3 drives per game, 2.8/5.2, 54.3%


3) Passing on drives, thus reducing bad shots and improving efficiency

Drives
Knicks: 2.7 passes per 10.2 drives (26.7%), 0.6 assists (5.6%)
Raps: 4.7 passes per 12.3 drives (38.2%), 1.1 assists (9%)

[Got Nuffin]

I can't believe there are still people on here criticising this guy. He has been a revelation. He is efficient as hell constantly putting pressure on the rim, and even his perimeter shot looks better than advertised. He is a great fit with Barnes (who is often still passive getting all the way to the basket) and Quickley who it turns out is more of a long range bomber than a slasher.

RJ is even unselfish and not half the low IQ black hole that some Knicks fans portrayed him to be.

If RJ is our 3rd/4th option going forward that is amazing for the future makeup of this team.

[anotherhomer]

I can't believe there are still people on here criticising this guy. He has been a revelation. He is efficient as hell constantly putting pressure on the rim, and even his perimeter shot looks better than advertised. He is a great fit with Barnes (who is often still passive getting all the way to the basket) and Quickley who it turns out is more of a long range bomber than a slasher.

RJ is even unselfish and not half the low IQ black hole that some Knicks fans portrayed him to be.

If RJ is our 3rd/4th option going forward that is amazing for the future makeup of this team.

he's a good fit to get some easy points and stuff, but if you have IQ, Barnes, and RJ

you still need that half-court guy who can score his points when the defense clamps down

IQ isn't that guy, neither is Barnes

[Raps in 4]

I can't believe there are still people on here criticising this guy. He has been a revelation. He is efficient as hell constantly putting pressure on the rim, and even his perimeter shot looks better than advertised. He is a great fit with Barnes (who is often still passive getting all the way to the basket) and Quickley who it turns out is more of a long range bomber than a slasher.

RJ is even unselfish and not half the low IQ black hole that some Knicks fans portrayed him to be.

If RJ is our 3rd/4th option going forward that is amazing for the future makeup of this team.

he's a good fit to get some easy points and stuff, but if you have IQ, Barnes, and RJ

you still need that half-court guy who can score his points when the defense clamps down

IQ isn't that guy, neither is Barnes

There are only like 10-15 of those guys in the NBA. Our only hope is that Barnes becomes that player one day.

Criticizing RJ for not being that guy is silly. He's been a solid second/third option, and that's already much better than anyone expected from him.

[anotherhomer]

I can't believe there are still people on here criticising this guy. He has been a revelation. He is efficient as hell constantly putting pressure on the rim, and even his perimeter shot looks better than advertised. He is a great fit with Barnes (who is often still passive getting all the way to the basket) and Quickley who it turns out is more of a long range bomber than a slasher.

RJ is even unselfish and not half the low IQ black hole that some Knicks fans portrayed him to be.

If RJ is our 3rd/4th option going forward that is amazing for the future makeup of this team.

he's a good fit to get some easy points and stuff, but if you have IQ, Barnes, and RJ

you still need that half-court guy who can score his points when the defense clamps down

IQ isn't that guy, neither is Barnes

There are only like 10-15 of those guys in the NBA. Our only hope is that Barnes becomes that player one day.

Criticizing RJ for not being that guy is silly. He's been a solid second/third option, and that's already much better than anyone expected from him.

A lot of games we lost because we go thru droughts of not scoring

[MEDIC]

I can't believe there are still people on here criticising this guy. He has been a revelation. He is efficient as hell constantly putting pressure on the rim, and even his perimeter shot looks better than advertised. He is a great fit with Barnes (who is often still passive getting all the way to the basket) and Quickley who it turns out is more of a long range bomber than a slasher.

RJ is even unselfish and not half the low IQ black hole that some Knicks fans portrayed him to be.

If RJ is our 3rd/4th option going forward that is amazing for the future makeup of this team.

Yeah, RJ definitely provides a skillset that both Barnes & Quick are lacking (Cutting/ Slashing/ Finishing/ Drawing fouls). He compliments them well.

- He is able to get to the rim easily while on the move.
- Does a great job of protecting the ball while initiating contact & creating space.
- He has great footwork.
- Has actually been a good passer & has decent court vision (not a black hole at all).
- His 3 point shot has been good enough.
- His defense has been good enough.
- He has a high compete level & seems to have good leadership skills.

The biggest issue for him has been his FT%. I am hoping next season he can make some adjustments & get closer to 80%.

I think his defense will improve with time, however this season some of their defensive woes I put on the coaching staff. They don't seem to have a solid defensive plan in place. It's hard to hold players accountable when the system isn't working well.

I like him as a player & I hope this core group can figure things out over the long term.

[GM89]

he's a good fit to get some easy points and stuff, but if you have IQ, Barnes, and RJ

you still need that half-court guy who can score his points when the defense clamps down

IQ isn't that guy, neither is Barnes

There are only like 10-15 of those guys in the NBA. Our only hope is that Barnes becomes that player one day.

Criticizing RJ for not being that guy is silly. He's been a solid second/third option, and that's already much better than anyone expected from him.

A lot of games we lost because we go thru droughts of not scoring

Am I crazy for thinking that drafting Zach Edey can help us with with this issue

[Psubs]

I can't believe there are still people on here criticising this guy. He has been a revelation. He is efficient as hell constantly putting pressure on the rim, and even his perimeter shot looks better than advertised. He is a great fit with Barnes (who is often still passive getting all the way to the basket) and Quickley who it turns out is more of a long range bomber than a slasher.

RJ is even unselfish and not half the low IQ black hole that some Knicks fans portrayed him to be.

If RJ is our 3rd/4th option going forward that is amazing for the future makeup of this team.

Yeah, RJ definitely provides a skillset that both Barnes & Quick are lacking (Cutting/ Slashing/ Finishing/ Drawing fouls). He compliments them well.

- He is able to get to the rim easily while on the move.
- Does a great job of protecting the ball while initiating contact & creating space.
- He has great footwork.
- Has actually been a good passer & has decent court vision (not a black hole at all).
- His 3 point shot has been good enough.
- His defense has been good enough.
- He has a high compete level & seems to have good leadership skills.

The biggest issue for him has been his FT%. I am hoping next season he can make some adjustments & get closer to 80%.

I think his defense will improve with time, however this season some of their defensive woes I put on the coaching staff. They don't seem to have a solid defensive plan in place. It's hard to hold players accountable when the system isn't working well.

I like him as a player & I hope this core group can figure things out over the long term.

Ya, maybe he needs to move back a little bit at the FT line like TWac? Anyways, he needs to get to at least over 75%. If he does, he's probably as valuable as Jaylen Brown. Jaylen Brown making max while we have Barrett locked in under $30 million per year for the next 3 seasons.

[manjusaka]

I can't believe there are still people on here criticising this guy. He has been a revelation. He is efficient as hell constantly putting pressure on the rim, and even his perimeter shot looks better than advertised. He is a great fit with Barnes (who is often still passive getting all the way to the basket) and Quickley who it turns out is more of a long range bomber than a slasher.

RJ is even unselfish and not half the low IQ black hole that some Knicks fans portrayed him to be.

If RJ is our 3rd/4th option going forward that is amazing for the future makeup of this team.

Yeah, RJ definitely provides a skillset that both Barnes & Quick are lacking (Cutting/ Slashing/ Finishing/ Drawing fouls). He compliments them well.

- He is able to get to the rim easily while on the move.
- Does a great job of protecting the ball while initiating contact & creating space.
- He has great footwork.
- Has actually been a good passer & has decent court vision (not a black hole at all).
- His 3 point shot has been good enough.
- His defense has been good enough.
- He has a high compete level & seems to have good leadership skills.

The biggest issue for him has been his FT%. I am hoping next season he can make some adjustments & get closer to 80%.

I think his defense will improve with time, however this season some of their defensive woes I put on the coaching staff. They don't seem to have a solid defensive plan in place. It's hard to hold players accountable when the system isn't working well.

I like him as a player & I hope this core group can figure things out over the long term.

Knicks’ Tom Thibodeau not buying into criticism of RJ Barrett’s defense

RJ might lack of lateral quickness but he has long arms, although he didn’t attend the combine, draftexpress list him with 6-10 wingspan. With Thibo’s words, RJ probably is a good team defender.

According to that open gym post, we mostly practice with the offensive schemes and not much on the defensive side of things. This is a development year and they’re focusing on the offensive side right now. I would not criticize our defence yet.

[GoRapstheoriginal]

How was RJ tonight? (I was concurrently watching ALL THREE Toronto team/games being played.

So tough to isolate.

[LoveMyRaps]

How was RJ tonight? (I was concurrently watching ALL THREE Toronto team/games being played.

So tough to isolate.

I remember at one point he was 6/14
But he finished 10/19

I was also focused on the other two Toronto teams.

[WuTang_OG]

RJ's shot and consistency of it will factor in between being good to great. in theory, he's the 3rd option so he'll need to knock down shots. I agree with Darko got a ton of ginobili in his game.

Watch on YouTube

[raincityraptors]

Here to say that if Scottie isn't the number 1 option on offence, the guy on our roster that makes the most sense for me to take that slot is RJ.

Everyone always wants to talk about him as a 3rd or 4th option but if that 3 point shot sticks, I think he has about as much of a legit chance as anyone else on this roster for becoming a number 1 option.

He may not be the number 1 y'all want but the tools, reads and potential for consistency - especially after a full camp within this offence - to get there.

I think he will be our most consistent offensive player next year and you can see how much pride he takes in putting on our uniform.

He's been my favorite player since we traded OG.

[MEDIC]

What a season for.RJ.. I agree with the poster above. I think he is going to have a Demar type growth curve. Just incrementally get better year after year.

Love having hm here.