RJ Barrett entering year 3

[robillionaire]

Ok. Enough of that. Back to my regularly scheduled negativity.

I’m sure the negativity was baked in. Zion will tear an ACL in his first game on the Knicks and will never be the same

[Clyde_Style]

Trade him in a package for Brandon Ingram while his value is still decent. Pelicans will do everything in their power to get Zion to stay and the 1st step would be reuniting him with his BFF.

No

[Clyde_Style]

RJ is very good

I think it's too soon to say he won't be great, because he is still really young and he made a pretty big improvement from year 1 to 2, and when you compare him to Ja who was without a doubt better as a rookie but kind of plateaued this year, Ja is still better because he can create for himself off the dribble but the gap has significantly closed

We'll have a much better idea where he's headed after this season. I think success for him this year is gonna be how well can he do #1 option things like create for himself off the dribble. I'd be fine with his 3pt% taking a step back if it means he's taking more off the dribble, even if he's not great at them yet. And I want to see his PnR game improve, he only scored .78 ppp on 41.7% eFG and 13.7% TOV frequency (33rd percentile) last year, and while that was an improvement from his rookie year (.68 ppp, 36.6% eFG, 16.9% TOV frequency, 21st percentile), it's nowhere near what it needs to be for a #1. I'm too lazy to post the Iso stats, but same story there

The "RJ just spot up shooter" meme took off at the end of the year, and while it clearly isn't true because c&s 3s only made up 27% of his shot attempts, it had a point in that they were the only thing he did on offense at a consistent NBA level. He's shown flashes of being able to create for himself, and while I'm not expecting his game to be Tatum level, I want to see him be more consistent in his ability to create.

I don't know how much P&R action RJ is going to see with Kemba/Rose/Fournier/Burks on the team. If anything, he's kind of in Bullocks role, though he'll be Bullocks++

His ppg may stay the same or go down a bit, but he'll be a better player. I'd like to see him attack closeouts and then pull up for short/midrange jumpers and also get to the rim off that. Which he already did, but should be able to do a lot more of it with Walker/Rose/Fournier/Randle present.

Never mind the Bullocks

[Nazrmohamed]

Trade him in a package for Brandon Ingram while his value is still decent. Pelicans will do everything in their power to get Zion to stay and the 1st step would be reuniting him with his BFF.

No

Hmm, Ingram is for sure more offensively talented than RJ. You gotta be crazy to deny that and it's not like we're talking about some 30yr old so all talk of us giving up on youth for aging vets in this scenario would be null and void. Basically our young guy for yours. But still, it would feel very cold blooded. Not to mention somebody has to ainlain how they have the player in Zion many of us wish we drafted, Ingram who's talent I just shared. At different points they had both players plus the PG ( drawing a blank but now plays for Milwaukee), Steven Adam's yet we as a team have performed better than them. Idk what's up with the Pelicans, I just feel they should've been better this whole time.

That and RJ is only getting better and plays defense. But talent for talent, Ingram is definitely a better prospect. I don't wanna subscribe to every rumor but I definitely would feel some type of way helping N.O. put Zion and RJ together instead of doing whatever necessary to get then together here.....if that's thier destiny, to play together.

[Clyde_Style]

Trade him in a package for Brandon Ingram while his value is still decent. Pelicans will do everything in their power to get Zion to stay and the 1st step would be reuniting him with his BFF.

No

Hmm, Ingram is for sure more offensively talented than RJ. You gotta be crazy to deny that and it's not like we're talking about some 30yr old so all talk of us giving up on youth for aging vets in this scenario would be null and void. Basically our young guy for yours. But still, it would feel very cold blooded. Not to mention somebody has to ainlain how they have the player in Zion many of us wish we drafted, Ingram who's talent I just shared. At different points they had both players plus the PG ( drawing a blank but now plays for Milwaukee), Steven Adam's yet we as a team have performed better than them. Idk what's up with the Pelicans, I just feel they should've been better this whole time.

That and RJ is only getting better and plays defense. But talent for talent, Ingram is definitely a better prospect. I don't wanna subscribe to every rumor but I definitely would feel some type of way helping N.O. put Zion and RJ together instead of doing whatever necessary to get then together here.....if that's thier destiny, to play together.

I’ve watched Ingram played enough times to say I disliked his demeanor on the court, his body language, his general attitude towards the game. Sure, people can say he doesn’t like sharing the court with Zion as some kind of excuse, but I really have felt I did not want this guy on my team.

[ohboy109]

The ONLY reason RJ hasn’t gotten a lot of hype is because his career high is only 32 pts. It’s sad that we put so much emphasis on one stat. Can he score more? Absolutely. Just needs to be more aggressive,

Once they move Randle the kids will shine but eventually handle must go he Can't be controlling the offense when they need development

[Spree2Houston]

The ONLY reason RJ hasn’t gotten a lot of hype is because his career high is only 32 pts. It’s sad that we put so much emphasis on one stat. Can he score more? Absolutely. Just needs to be more aggressive,

Once they move Randle the kids will shine but eventually handle must go he Can't be controlling the offense when they need development

Word..then we can unleash Kevin Knox

[Guano]

The ONLY reason RJ hasn’t gotten a lot of hype is because his career high is only 32 pts. It’s sad that we put so much emphasis on one stat. Can he score more? Absolutely. Just needs to be more aggressive,

i'm prolly making too big a deal of this but that seems kinda concerning for a potential "star". guess i'll just hold onto the fact that he is still really young and it's been a weird first two years (Rona and shortened offseason). Hopefully we see him take over a few games this year. I'm skeptical of his potential stardom - but like buzz - believe he can be a really "good" player. with the knicks track record that should be great, but if i'm being honest, it's disappointing. we NEED stars not souped up role players.

[jvsimonetti0514]

RJ is very good

I think it's too soon to say he won't be great, because he is still really young and he made a pretty big improvement from year 1 to 2, and when you compare him to Ja who was without a doubt better as a rookie but kind of plateaued this year, Ja is still better because he can create for himself off the dribble but the gap has significantly closed

We'll have a much better idea where he's headed after this season. I think success for him this year is gonna be how well can he do #1 option things like create for himself off the dribble. I'd be fine with his 3pt% taking a step back if it means he's taking more off the dribble, even if he's not great at them yet. And I want to see his PnR game improve, he only scored .78 ppp on 41.7% eFG and 13.7% TOV frequency (33rd percentile) last year, and while that was an improvement from his rookie year (.68 ppp, 36.6% eFG, 16.9% TOV frequency, 21st percentile), it's nowhere near what it needs to be for a #1. I'm too lazy to post the Iso stats, but same story there

The "RJ just spot up shooter" meme took off at the end of the year, and while it clearly isn't true because c&s 3s only made up 27% of his shot attempts, it had a point in that they were the only thing he did on offense at a consistent NBA level. He's shown flashes of being able to create for himself, and while I'm not expecting his game to be Tatum level, I want to see him be more consistent in his ability to create.

I don't know how much P&R action RJ is going to see with Kemba/Rose/Fournier/Burks on the team. If anything, he's kind of in Bullocks role, though he'll be Bullocks++

His ppg may stay the same or go down a bit, but he'll be a better player. I'd like to see him attack closeouts and then pull up for short/midrange jumpers and also get to the rim off that. Which he already did, but should be able to do a lot more of it with Walker/Rose/Fournier/Randle present.

It’s definitely going to be interesting to see how Thibs distributes possessions. It really depends on how much improvement he makes this offseason. He only took 11 off the dribble 3’s last year. That number is going to have to be much higher at least average efficiency for him to keep those possessions.

I don’t expect him to lose all possessions cuz of Kemba’s bad knee. Scwhinny poo from the Strickland had a twitter thread about RJ with the same stats K-DOt had but for all types of creation not just PNR. It showed him going from bad to just kinda bad. Just with the spacing and creation upgrade that Kemba and Fournier prove should get him from kinda bad to at least average but hopefully better.

[DOT]

The ONLY reason RJ hasn’t gotten a lot of hype is because his career high is only 32 pts. It’s sad that we put so much emphasis on one stat. Can he score more? Absolutely. Just needs to be more aggressive,

i'm prolly making too big a deal of this but that seems kinda concerning for a potential "star". guess i'll just hold onto the fact that he is still really young and it's been a weird first two years (Rona and shortened offseason). Hopefully we see him take over a few games this year. I'm skeptical of his potential stardom - but like buzz - believe he can be a really "good" player. with the knicks track record that should be great, but if i'm being honest, it's disappointing. we NEED stars not souped up role players.

Jayson Tatum's career high after 2 seasons was 34

Jaylen Brown didn't score more than 34 until this past year

Kawhi's career high in his first 4 seasons was 26

Paul George's career high after 2 seasons was 30

Randle only scored 32 once in his first 2 full seasons

Jimmy Butler didn't crack 30 until he was 25

Westbrook's career high after 2 seasons was 34

DeRozan only scored more than 30 twice his first 3 years (37 and 36)

So yes, I would say you're making too big a deal of this. I would also say, it's significantly easier to have a better career high if you're on a bad team and are the clear first option, which RJ never has been. Which is why Knox scored 31 in his rookie year as one of 11 times he scored 20 or more, but hasn't cracked 20 in the last 2 years. Career highs are overrated, but whatever.

[robillionaire]

The ONLY reason RJ hasn’t gotten a lot of hype is because his career high is only 32 pts. It’s sad that we put so much emphasis on one stat. Can he score more? Absolutely. Just needs to be more aggressive,

i'm prolly making too big a deal of this but that seems kinda concerning for a potential "star". guess i'll just hold onto the fact that he is still really young and it's been a weird first two years (Rona and shortened offseason). Hopefully we see him take over a few games this year. I'm skeptical of his potential stardom - but like buzz - believe he can be a really "good" player. with the knicks track record that should be great, but if i'm being honest, it's disappointing. we NEED stars not souped up role players.

Jayson Tatum's career high after 2 seasons was 34

Jaylen Brown didn't score more than 34 until this past year

Kawhi's career high in his first 4 seasons was 26

Paul George's career high after 2 seasons was 30

Randle only scored 32 once in his first 2 full seasons

Jimmy Butler didn't crack 30 until he was 25

Westbrook's career high after 2 seasons was 34

DeRozan only scored more than 30 twice his first 3 years (37 and 36)

NYKMentality??????

[jvsimonetti0514]

Brandon Ingram is def more of a dynamic offensive talent than RJ but I’d rather try to bring Zion to MSG than help Nola keep him there.

[Clyde_Style]

i'm prolly making too big a deal of this but that seems kinda concerning for a potential "star". guess i'll just hold onto the fact that he is still really young and it's been a weird first two years (Rona and shortened offseason). Hopefully we see him take over a few games this year. I'm skeptical of his potential stardom - but like buzz - believe he can be a really "good" player. with the knicks track record that should be great, but if i'm being honest, it's disappointing. we NEED stars not souped up role players.

Jayson Tatum's career high after 2 seasons was 34

Jaylen Brown didn't score more than 34 until this past year

Kawhi's career high in his first 4 seasons was 26

Paul George's career high after 2 seasons was 30

Randle only scored 32 once in his first 2 full seasons

Jimmy Butler didn't crack 30 until he was 25

Westbrook's career high after 2 seasons was 34

DeRozan only scored more than 30 twice his first 3 years (37 and 36)

NYKMentality has never scored in his life

[Guano]

The ONLY reason RJ hasn’t gotten a lot of hype is because his career high is only 32 pts. It’s sad that we put so much emphasis on one stat. Can he score more? Absolutely. Just needs to be more aggressive,

i'm prolly making too big a deal of this but that seems kinda concerning for a potential "star". guess i'll just hold onto the fact that he is still really young and it's been a weird first two years (Rona and shortened offseason). Hopefully we see him take over a few games this year. I'm skeptical of his potential stardom - but like buzz - believe he can be a really "good" player. with the knicks track record that should be great, but if i'm being honest, it's disappointing. we NEED stars not souped up role players.

Jayson Tatum's career high after 2 seasons was 34

Jaylen Brown didn't score more than 34 until this past year

Kawhi's career high in his first 4 seasons was 26

Paul George's career high after 2 seasons was 30

Randle only scored 32 once in his first 2 full seasons

Jimmy Butler didn't crack 30 until he was 25

Westbrook's career high after 2 seasons was 34

DeRozan only scored more than 30 twice his first 3 years (37 and 36)

So yes, I would say you're making too big a deal of this. I would also say, it's significantly easier to have a better career high if you're on a bad team and are the clear first option, which RJ never has been. Which is why Knox scored 31 in his rookie year as one of 11 times he scored 20 or more, but hasn't cracked 20 in the last 2 years. Career highs are overrated, but whatever.

well damn, leave it to the stat guy to put me in my place
all i've got for you is eye test sht and i'm not going out like that. so you win this round.

[thebuzzardman]

The ONLY reason RJ hasn’t gotten a lot of hype is because his career high is only 32 pts. It’s sad that we put so much emphasis on one stat. Can he score more? Absolutely. Just needs to be more aggressive,

i'm prolly making too big a deal of this but that seems kinda concerning for a potential "star". guess i'll just hold onto the fact that he is still really young and it's been a weird first two years (Rona and shortened offseason). Hopefully we see him take over a few games this year. I'm skeptical of his potential stardom - but like buzz - believe he can be a really "good" player. with the knicks track record that should be great, but if i'm being honest, it's disappointing. we NEED stars not souped up role players.

Jayson Tatum's career high after 2 seasons was 34

Jaylen Brown didn't score more than 34 until this past year

Kawhi's career high in his first 4 seasons was 26

Paul George's career high after 2 seasons was 30

Randle only scored 32 once in his first 2 full seasons

Jimmy Butler didn't crack 30 until he was 25

Westbrook's career high after 2 seasons was 34

DeRozan only scored more than 30 twice his first 3 years (37 and 36)

So yes, I would say you're making too big a deal of this. I would also say, it's significantly easier to have a better career high if you're on a bad team and are the clear first option, which RJ never has been. Which is why Knox scored 31 in his rookie year as one of 11 times he scored 20 or more, but hasn't cracked 20 in the last 2 years. Career highs are overrated, but whatever.

There's a little bit of NYMentality in everyone

[Kampuchea]

Ingram is skilled but I get a bad vibe from him, like he DGAF. Feels like a guy that won’t work as much as RJ, and because of that work RJ will have the better career. That’s a no from me on a swap of the two.

[Oscirus]

Bleachers report made a mistake and put rj barret 20 on the top 25 under 25 list. Im sure that mistake will be rectified and that he will be removed as soon as the editors learn of this error

[jvsimonetti0514]

Read on Twitter

[DOT]

Fun fact

Miles McBride is the only player on the roster younger than RJ, by about 3 months (Rokas is 5 months younger than him, but he's not technically on the roster, so)

Kinda wild he's going into year 3 and is still almost the youngest guy on the roster. Though a lot of that is due to Leon and Thibs drafting older guys.

[jvsimonetti0514]

Read on Twitter