Page 25 of 99
Re: Is RJ Barrett a bust?
Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2021 3:53 pm
by rajajackal
DaGawd wrote:Deeeez Knicks wrote:A lot of his struggles are tied to shooting and that is something that can be improved upon. Most of the struggles are on RJ, but lets be real...it also is a horrible lineup to put around him with lack of spacing and PG play. Again, not to take responsibility away but that situation also doesnt do him any favors.
There is def a lack of patience though
He also is kinda sucky around the rim. Not all to crafty to make up for meh athleticism. He’s all about strength down there but sometimes that isn’t enough and get stuffed
i think he is crafty down there. i've seen it. but he's been making peanut-headed decisions to attempt shots against several defenders. like you said, he doesn't have the athleticism to pull that off
Re: Is RJ Barrett a bust?
Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2021 3:56 pm
by Deeeez Knicks
DaGawd wrote:Deeeez Knicks wrote:A lot of his struggles are tied to shooting and that is something that can be improved upon. Most of the struggles are on RJ, but lets be real...it also is a horrible lineup to put around him with lack of spacing and PG play. Again, not to take responsibility away but that situation also doesnt do him any favors.
There is def a lack of patience though
He also is kinda sucky around the rim. Not all to crafty to make up for meh athleticism. He’s all about strength down there but sometimes that isn’t enough and get stuffed
Some of that is tied to spacing...teams are zoning us up. Some of it also tied to his lack of shooting since teams are playing him to drive.
If he can shoot better, we have better spacing and add a real PG his finishing will go up. A lot of ifs, but think its all possible.
Re: Is RJ Barrett a bust?
Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2021 4:00 pm
by DaGawd
Deeeez Knicks wrote:DaGawd wrote:Deeeez Knicks wrote:A lot of his struggles are tied to shooting and that is something that can be improved upon. Most of the struggles are on RJ, but lets be real...it also is a horrible lineup to put around him with lack of spacing and PG play. Again, not to take responsibility away but that situation also doesnt do him any favors.
There is def a lack of patience though
He also is kinda sucky around the rim. Not all to crafty to make up for meh athleticism. He’s all about strength down there but sometimes that isn’t enough and get stuffed
Some of that is tied to spacing...teams are zoning us up. Some of it also tied to his lack of shooting since teams are playing him to drive.
If he can shoot better, we have better spacing and add a real PG his finishing will go up.
A lot of ifs, but think its all possible.
I’m glad you said it. I don’t fault you for being hopeful about him still.. but that’s why some of us don’t see it with this kid any more. Normally when you have to line everything up perfectly for that prospect to show their true potential they’re not really IT.
Re: Is RJ Barrett a bust?
Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2021 4:15 pm
by cgf
Though it's still too early to take too much from his #s; RJ's down behind the arc and at the rim this season, but he's improved from the line & midrange, his assist rate is up, his rebound rate is up, his turnover rate is down & his defense is up. All while being more physically drained due to the minutes he's seeing & the cramped schedule.
What's most important when developing young talent isn't how far from the end of their growth curves children are, but whether they are making progress along their development arcs, and RJ's doing that this season despite the 3ball clearly not yet being in his arsenal...plus it's not like there haven't been countless players who only learned to shoot 3s later in their careers, so it's not like RJ is running out of time to add it to his skillset if it doesn't materialize by the end of the season
If I was going to be critical of RJ it would be the way he has started to force things in some of the games where his shooting frustrated him, and his finishing at the rim thus far. Although the picture there is muddied by the crap spacing (which he contributes to). Since, on a proper team, he'd have a much easier time at the rim & his rates would probably be more inline with his peers, I feel like, rather than pointing to a lack of touch, this may be more of "if you can dodge a wrench" situation...where having to figure out how to finish through the crowds we're forcing him to face early in his career could make him a lot more comfortable & confident around the rim when he's seeing normal NBA-spacing *shrug*
Re: Is RJ Barrett a bust?
Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2021 4:15 pm
by Deeeez Knicks
DaGawd wrote:Deeeez Knicks wrote:DaGawd wrote:He also is kinda sucky around the rim. Not all to crafty to make up for meh athleticism. He’s all about strength down there but sometimes that isn’t enough and get stuffed
Some of that is tied to spacing...teams are zoning us up. Some of it also tied to his lack of shooting since teams are playing him to drive.
If he can shoot better, we have better spacing and add a real PG his finishing will go up.
A lot of ifs, but think its all possible.
I’m glad you said it. I don’t fault you for being hopeful about him still.. but that’s why some of us don’t see it with this kid any more. Normally when you have to line everything up perfectly for that prospect to show their true potential they’re not really IT.
Yea, hard to say what will happen and it may not happen. Just need something to believe in though with this team
Re: Is RJ Barrett a bust?
Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2021 4:16 pm
by awy
he just has no touch. i don't know if that can change drastically. most of his struggles are just areas already in the pre-draft scouting report. just adjust expectations.
Re: Is RJ Barrett a bust?
Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2021 4:51 pm
by SmoothLefty21
DaGawd wrote:He also is kinda sucky around the rim. Not all to crafty to make up for meh athleticism. He’s all about strength down there but sometimes that isn’t enough and get stuffed
It was obvious when he was at a Duke too. He had many horribly inefficient games and often looked bad trying to finish around the rim.
Right now he's an average NBA athlete who can't shoot a lick and struggles to finish in traffic.
The more blunt, pragmatic assessment is that he's an average NBA athlete with a subpar skill set. He works hard, he's very mature for his age, he's a capable defender, and hopefully will improve...but he's still a project.
Re: Is RJ Barrett a bust?
Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2021 4:53 pm
by KnicksGod
The answer is still no.
Re: Is RJ Barrett a bust?
Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2021 5:00 pm
by DaGawd
SmoothLefty21 wrote:DaGawd wrote:He also is kinda sucky around the rim. Not all to crafty to make up for meh athleticism. He’s all about strength down there but sometimes that isn’t enough and get stuffed
It was obvious when he was at a Duke too. He had many horribly inefficient games and often looked bad trying to finish around the rim.
Right now he's an average NBA athlete who can't shoot a lick and struggles to finish in traffic.
The more blunt, pragmatic assessment is that he's an average NBA athlete with a subpar skill set. He works hard, he's very mature for his age, he's a capable defender, and hopefully will improve...but he's still a project.
Yep. I watched every Duke game that year and was thoroughly unimpressed considering the massive hype he had coming out of high school. You see the body type and think man this kid some be more naturally athletic/talented than he is.. but he was and still is just ok.. and his overall basketball skill hasn’t seemed to really have gotten much better either
Re: Is RJ Barrett a bust?
Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2021 6:25 pm
by prophet_of_rage
rajajackal wrote:DaGawd wrote:Deeeez Knicks wrote:A lot of his struggles are tied to shooting and that is something that can be improved upon. Most of the struggles are on RJ, but lets be real...it also is a horrible lineup to put around him with lack of spacing and PG play. Again, not to take responsibility away but that situation also doesnt do him any favors.
There is def a lack of patience though
He also is kinda sucky around the rim. Not all to crafty to make up for meh athleticism. He’s all about strength down there but sometimes that isn’t enough and get stuffed
i think he is crafty down there. i've seen it. but he's been making peanut-headed decisions to attempt shots against several defenders. like you said, he doesn't have the athleticism to pull that off
And he has to figure that out. The great Tim Duncan looked like a bust in his first summer league because he was trying to see what worked from college to the NBA. Now before Clyde Style jumps on me saying Tim Duncan was great out the box and RJ is no Tim Duncan, I'm aware of that. But Duncan had necessary growing pains. RJ is having growing pains as well. Just worse and for longer.
RJ is going through growing pains figuring out what he can and cannot do and what he must adapt to. He believes in himself too much. Eventually he'll learn, this is my role.
Sent from my SM-N970W using Tapatalk
Re: Is RJ Barrett a bust?
Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2021 6:26 pm
by prophet_of_rage
SmoothLefty21 wrote:DaGawd wrote:He also is kinda sucky around the rim. Not all to crafty to make up for meh athleticism. He’s all about strength down there but sometimes that isn’t enough and get stuffed
It was obvious when he was at a Duke too. He had many horribly inefficient games and often looked bad trying to finish around the rim.
Right now he's an average NBA athlete who can't shoot a lick and struggles to finish in traffic.
The more blunt, pragmatic assessment is that he's an average NBA athlete with a subpar skill set. He works hard, he's very mature for his age, he's a capable defender, and hopefully will improve...but he's still a project.
Yes and not being at Duke more than a year he's learning on the job in the NBA.
Sent from my SM-N970W using Tapatalk
Re: Is RJ Barrett a bust?
Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2021 7:06 pm
by thebuzzardman
robillionaire wrote:louisorr wrote:For a number 3 pick he's trending toward average. He's not Michael Jordan, nor is he Adam Morrison.
He's basically our very own Shareef Abdur- Rahim.
he's trending toward michael kidd gilchrist minus defense
What's RJ's middle name?
He needs a three item bust name like MKG but unlike SGA
Re: Is RJ Barrett a bust?
Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2021 7:07 pm
by thebuzzardman
prophet_of_rage wrote:SmoothLefty21 wrote:DaGawd wrote:He also is kinda sucky around the rim. Not all to crafty to make up for meh athleticism. He’s all about strength down there but sometimes that isn’t enough and get stuffed
It was obvious when he was at a Duke too. He had many horribly inefficient games and often looked bad trying to finish around the rim.
Right now he's an average NBA athlete who can't shoot a lick and struggles to finish in traffic.
The more blunt, pragmatic assessment is that he's an average NBA athlete with a subpar skill set. He works hard, he's very mature for his age, he's a capable defender, and hopefully will improve...but he's still a project.
Yes and not being at Duke more than a year he's learning on the job in the NBA.
Sent from my SM-N970W using Tapatalk
I'm learning about RJ while he's learning on the job.
So far I've learned he kind of sucks.
Re: Is RJ Barrett a bust?
Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2021 7:37 pm
by Galou
Nope... the fickle fans will change their mind about him once he figures it out. I don't listen to them over analyzing I told you so nerds
Re: Is RJ Barrett a bust?
Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2021 7:48 pm
by CharlesOakley
He's not ready or close to being the man but the coach plays him like he is. The best thing for him is a minutes reduction and a move to the bench. He needs more time with shooters on the floor and more time against lesser talent.
Re: Is RJ Barrett a bust?
Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2021 8:01 pm
by Lord Commander
You guys are brutal. He's a baby, let him develop.
Re: Is RJ Barrett a bust?
Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2021 8:08 pm
by Fat
RJ a undersized power forward at heart
Re: Is RJ Barrett a bust?
Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2021 8:12 pm
by Clyde_Style
prophet_of_rage wrote:rajajackal wrote:DaGawd wrote:He also is kinda sucky around the rim. Not all to crafty to make up for meh athleticism. He’s all about strength down there but sometimes that isn’t enough and get stuffed
i think he is crafty down there. i've seen it. but he's been making peanut-headed decisions to attempt shots against several defenders. like you said, he doesn't have the athleticism to pull that off
And he has to figure that out. The great Tim Duncan looked like a bust in his first summer league because he was trying to see what worked from college to the NBA. Now before Clyde Style jumps on me saying Tim Duncan was great out the box and RJ is no Tim Duncan, I'm aware of that. But Duncan had necessary growing pains. RJ is having growing pains as well. Just worse and for longer.
RJ is going through growing pains figuring out what he can and cannot do and what he must adapt to. He believes in himself too much. Eventually he'll learn, this is my role.
Sent from my SM-N970W using Tapatalk
Re: Is RJ Barrett a bust?
Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2021 8:13 pm
by cgf
Lord Commander wrote:You guys are brutal. He's a baby, let him develop.
Re: Is RJ Barrett a bust?
Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2021 8:18 pm
by god shammgod
Angryfatboy wrote:RJ a undersized power forward at heart
just a shorter carlos boozer with a worse deadlift. sad.