PG: RJ Tells Chanel: “Hold My Beer” while Randle Hangs Up His Spurs

[Wharton Alum 08]

RJ been hooping. But it seems he really goes off against teams missing key rotational pieces. In this stretch he played well against Indiana & SA both missing starting caliber wing players but struggled against Toronto and Boston. You can't control who you play but it would be nice to see it against some better competition.

yep need to see a consistent stretch of him balling against good competition before I become a believer in him.

I agree. It would be different if he threw up some good games against solid comp and duds against scrubs but you look at this stretch against OKC, Indiana, SA he played super well he shot 57% from the field against Boston x2 and Toronto he shot 34% that's a huge difference against a step up in competition.

[DOT]

I agree. It would be different if he threw up some good games against solid comp and duds against scrubs but you look at this stretch against OKC, Indiana, SA he played super well he shot 57% from the field against Boston x2 and Toronto he shot 34% that's a huge difference against a step up in competition.

Indiana and San Antonio are debatable, but we're really gonna put Lu Dort in the scrub defender category?

Also, we're just gonna ignore RJ going at Myles Turner in Indiana?

Guess we shouldn't want Turner, since he's a scrub too, apparently.

[3toheadmelo]

I agree. It would be different if he threw up some good games against solid comp and duds against scrubs but you look at this stretch against OKC, Indiana, SA he played super well he shot 57% from the field against Boston x2 and Toronto he shot 34% that's a huge difference against a step up in competition.

Indiana and San Antonio are debatable, but we're really gonna put Lu Dort in the scrub defender category?

Also, we're just gonna ignore RJ going at Myles Turner in Indiana?

Guess we shouldn't want Turner, since he's a scrub too, apparently.

RJ shot 4/10 against Lu Dort which isn’t exactly something to be happy about.

RJ also shot 2/5 against Turner.

So when good defenders are actually guarding him, he’s putting up bad efficiency.

[Wharton Alum 08]

I agree. It would be different if he threw up some good games against solid comp and duds against scrubs but you look at this stretch against OKC, Indiana, SA he played super well he shot 57% from the field against Boston x2 and Toronto he shot 34% that's a huge difference against a step up in competition.

Indiana and San Antonio are debatable, but we're really gonna put Lu Dort in the scrub defender category?

Also, we're just gonna ignore RJ going at Myles Turner in Indiana?

Guess we shouldn't want Turner, since he's a scrub too, apparently.

Knicks fans would loathe Turner, a 7 footer who averages 7 boards and doesn't score the ball consistently while only floating around the perimeter.

And you can't have it both ways who was protecting the rim for OKC? 6'8 Isaiah Roby?

[Chanel Bomber]

In the past week or so, we've seen RJ for the first time use counters on his drives to the rim.

The up-and-under vs Turner. The stop-and-turnaround J vs Poeltl.

RJ struggles mightily against more athletic shotblockers, so him developing counters and a pull-up is vital.

Let's see how consistent he becomes with those moves once the league starts adjusting.

But this is a very positive development.

[K_ick_God]

Where is tonight's game thread?

[F N 11]

Love the Thread Title because R.J. Barrett has been balling out of control as of late.

Previous 12 Games:
32.7 minutes per game.
20.2 points per game.
4.8 rebounds per game.
2.9 assists per game.
0.8 steals per game.
FG% of .431%.
3PT% of .408%.
2.0 Turnovers per game.

And during his previous 6 games his numbers look even better.

Previous 6 games:
35.6 minutes per game.
23.3 points per game.
5.2 rebounds per game.
3.5 assists per game.
1.0 steals per game.
FG% of .464%.
3PT% of .400%.
2.3 turnovers per game.

It's hard to believe that he's still the 2nd youngest player on the team @ only 21 years old (Deuce McBride being the youngest).

I won't swear. But I promise you.

If R.J. Barrett A.) Drives to the rim and attacks the paint more often B.) Shoots less jumpers and C.) Improves his FT%? He'll become a walking 25 PPG player in his sleep with 30 PPG type of Superstar potential (already the most 30 point games by a Knicks player only 21 years of age or younger in Franchise history).

Yeah, those numbers are pretty good

Makes my Khris Middleton comp look better, cause that's about what Middleton does.

Even I did not think he was playing that good for so long.

[whocares1]

How many assists did he have? He needs to develop his ability to set up his teammates for easy shots if he wants to get serious minutes at the PG. I didn't see much of an attempt to get his teammates involved in either the Oklahoma City game or the few minutes he played in the next game.

No he needs to be able to score at the highest level and that and only that will lead to easy opportunities for his teammates.

7 assists 5 3’s 5 steals 8 rebounds

Now he needs to prove that against players that are not scrubs.

[DOT]

I agree. It would be different if he threw up some good games against solid comp and duds against scrubs but you look at this stretch against OKC, Indiana, SA he played super well he shot 57% from the field against Boston x2 and Toronto he shot 34% that's a huge difference against a step up in competition.

Indiana and San Antonio are debatable, but we're really gonna put Lu Dort in the scrub defender category?

Also, we're just gonna ignore RJ going at Myles Turner in Indiana?

Guess we shouldn't want Turner, since he's a scrub too, apparently.

RJ shot 4/10 against Lu Dort which isn’t exactly something to be happy about.

RJ also shot 2/5 against Turner.

So when good defenders are actually guarding him, he’s putting up bad efficiency.

Scoring one point per FGA isn't "bad" efficiency. It's not good, but it's not bad

Overall, RJ's scored 12 points on 9 shots with Turner guarding him, and 10 points on 10 shots with Dort guarding him

That's well within acceptable production when facing good defenders. It's not great, but I'll take it if it means that's as bad as he gets and he's much better when being guarded by anyone else, cause you can't guard someone with one person the whole game, not in the modern day. If you wanna talk bad efficiency, he's 4-17 for 11 points when guarded by Smart or Jaylen Brown

You're just trying to find excuses to not give him credit for good performances.

[F N 11]

In the past week or so, we've seen RJ for the first time use counters on his drives to the rim.

The up-and-under vs Turner. The stop-and-turnaround J vs Poeltl.

RJ struggles mightily against more athletic shotblockers, so him developing counters and a pull-up is vital.

Let's see how consistent he becomes with those moves once the league starts adjusting.

But this is a very positive development.

He’s developing nicely. We saw mid range pull up 2 straight games and even a fake and fade. This man could end up being really scary if he has that in between game down pat because he has a quick fist step. Dallas don’t have anyone that can stop him, should be interesting.

[DOT]

I agree. It would be different if he threw up some good games against solid comp and duds against scrubs but you look at this stretch against OKC, Indiana, SA he played super well he shot 57% from the field against Boston x2 and Toronto he shot 34% that's a huge difference against a step up in competition.

Indiana and San Antonio are debatable, but we're really gonna put Lu Dort in the scrub defender category?

Also, we're just gonna ignore RJ going at Myles Turner in Indiana?

Guess we shouldn't want Turner, since he's a scrub too, apparently.

Knicks fans would loathe Turner, a 7 footer who averages 7 boards and doesn't score the ball consistently while only floating around the perimeter.

And you can't have it both ways who was protecting the rim for OKC? 6'8 Isaiah Roby?

Got it, so unless he does it against a whole team of good defenders, it doesn't count

One bad defender, and that's it. No credit

I'm not the one trying to have it both ways.

[Deeeez Knicks]

I agree. It would be different if he threw up some good games against solid comp and duds against scrubs but you look at this stretch against OKC, Indiana, SA he played super well he shot 57% from the field against Boston x2 and Toronto he shot 34% that's a huge difference against a step up in competition.

Indiana and San Antonio are debatable, but we're really gonna put Lu Dort in the scrub defender category?

Also, we're just gonna ignore RJ going at Myles Turner in Indiana?

Guess we shouldn't want Turner, since he's a scrub too, apparently.

RJ shot 4/10 against Lu Dort which isn’t exactly something to be happy about.

RJ also shot 2/5 against Turner.

So when good defenders are actually guarding him, he’s putting up bad efficiency.

Tor is maybe the best defensive team and RJ is avg 21.7ppg, 46%fg, 45% 3, 62% TS against them in 3 games.

Every team is missing dudes so it doesnt really seem like that is the case. There's a noticeable difference in RJs play when he is good or bad.

[3toheadmelo]

Indiana and San Antonio are debatable, but we're really gonna put Lu Dort in the scrub defender category?

Also, we're just gonna ignore RJ going at Myles Turner in Indiana?

Guess we shouldn't want Turner, since he's a scrub too, apparently.

RJ shot 4/10 against Lu Dort which isn’t exactly something to be happy about.

RJ also shot 2/5 against Turner.

So when good defenders are actually guarding him, he’s putting up bad efficiency.

Scoring one point per FGA isn't "bad" efficiency. It's not good, but it's not bad

Overall, RJ's scored 12 points on 9 shots with Turner guarding him, and 10 points on 10 shots with Dort guarding him

That's well within acceptable production when facing good defenders. It's not great, but I'll take it if it means that's as bad as he gets and he's much better when being guarded by anyone else, cause you can't guard someone with one person the whole game, not in the modern day. If you wanna talk bad efficiency, he's 4-17 for 11 points when guarded by Smart or Jaylen Brown

You're just trying to find excuses to not give him credit for good performances.

Hey man if you think 40% is great efficiency then do you. It’s perfectly reasonable for me and others to be skeptical about him having the ability to play well against legit competition. The efficiency is living proof. Sorry for not being a complete homer like you and NYK mentality. Apologizes.

[Chanel Bomber]

In the past week or so, we've seen RJ for the first time use counters on his drives to the rim.

The up-and-under vs Turner. The stop-and-turnaround J vs Poeltl.

RJ struggles mightily against more athletic shotblockers, so him developing counters and a pull-up is vital.

Let's see how consistent he becomes with those moves once the league starts adjusting.

But this is a very positive development.

He’s developing nicely. We saw mid range pull up 2 straight games and even a fake and fade. This man could end up being really scary if he has that in between game down pat because he has a quick fist step. Dallas don’t have anyone that can stop him, should be interesting.

I actually think his first step is really slow and that it's by far the biggest obstacle standing between him and stardom.

But I agree that he needs that in-between game, and that having a midrange game would go a long way towards him becoming a good player in the NBA.

He's an average athlete for an NBA wing so he needs to add finesse to his game. It seems like he's starting to figure that out. Hopefully he keeps trending up.

[DOT]

Indiana and San Antonio are debatable, but we're really gonna put Lu Dort in the scrub defender category?

Also, we're just gonna ignore RJ going at Myles Turner in Indiana?

Guess we shouldn't want Turner, since he's a scrub too, apparently.

RJ shot 4/10 against Lu Dort which isn’t exactly something to be happy about.

RJ also shot 2/5 against Turner.

So when good defenders are actually guarding him, he’s putting up bad efficiency.

Tor is maybe the best defensive team and RJ is avg 21.7ppg, 46%fg, 45% 3, 62% TS against them in 3 games.

Every team is missing dudes so it doesnt really seem like that is the case. There's a noticeable difference in RJs play when he is good or bad.

Yeah, but if you ignore his good games, he's only played bad games

Checkmate, RJtheists.

[whocares1]

I agree. It would be different if he threw up some good games against solid comp and duds against scrubs but you look at this stretch against OKC, Indiana, SA he played super well he shot 57% from the field against Boston x2 and Toronto he shot 34% that's a huge difference against a step up in competition.

Indiana and San Antonio are debatable, but we're really gonna put Lu Dort in the scrub defender category?

Also, we're just gonna ignore RJ going at Myles Turner in Indiana?

Guess we shouldn't want Turner, since he's a scrub too, apparently.

RJ shot 4/10 against Lu Dort which isn’t exactly something to be happy about.

RJ also shot 2/5 against Turner.

So when good defenders are actually guarding him, he’s putting up bad efficiency.

He’s been bad against good competition and bad against good competition. He strives in games where the defense allows him to take (and him make) completely wide open threes because that’s the shot they want him to take.

In the playoffs it was proven that if you have a strong first defender on Barrett + a legitimate rim protector that RJ wasn’t going to make much of an impact. He has not added anything to his game to prove that he’s gotten better in those areas.

[Deeeez Knicks]

I get what people are saying when RJ can't create shots well....But watch him play and he gets so many good looks within the flow of the offense. During the rough stretch, he was missing so many bunnies and open looks. That's not good, but that he was able to get so many good looks was a great sign. Now that they are going down its making a huge difference. He does get blocked a lot, but gets a ton of buckets at the rim when its all said and done which is a very good skill. He just knows where to be and how to move on the floor. He's just not flashy in the way he does it either. Not gonna be crossing people over or creating a ton of space off fadeaway step backs...but he gets a step and has the defender on his hip, and he is able to get a good look.

[Oscirus]

Indiana and San Antonio are debatable, but we're really gonna put Lu Dort in the scrub defender category?

Also, we're just gonna ignore RJ going at Myles Turner in Indiana?

Guess we shouldn't want Turner, since he's a scrub too, apparently.

RJ shot 4/10 against Lu Dort which isn’t exactly something to be happy about.

RJ also shot 2/5 against Turner.

So when good defenders are actually guarding him, he’s putting up bad efficiency.

He’s been bad against good competition and bad against good competition. He strives in games where the defense allows him to take (and him make) completely wide open threes because that’s the shot they want him to take.

In the playoffs it was proven that if you have a strong first defender on Barrett + a legitimate rim protector that RJ wasn’t going to make much of an impact. He has not added anything to his game to prove that he’s gotten better in those areas.

So if theres a good perimeter defender on him and a legit rim protector down low, he'll struggle, like 95 percent of the league would in that situation? Pretty soon people gonna be blaming him for not hitting shots where he's fouled as well.

[3toheadmelo]

Indiana and San Antonio are debatable, but we're really gonna put Lu Dort in the scrub defender category?

Also, we're just gonna ignore RJ going at Myles Turner in Indiana?

Guess we shouldn't want Turner, since he's a scrub too, apparently.

RJ shot 4/10 against Lu Dort which isn’t exactly something to be happy about.

RJ also shot 2/5 against Turner.

So when good defenders are actually guarding him, he’s putting up bad efficiency.

Tor is maybe the best defensive team and RJ is avg 21.7ppg, 46%fg, 45% 3, 62% TS against them in 3 games.

Every team is missing dudes so it doesnt really seem like that is the case. There's a noticeable difference in RJs play when he is good or bad.

Those stats are skewed because of one good game he had against them which Gary Trent JR guarded mostly and he’s a pretty terrible defender. He was mediocre in the next two games.

This is only making my case stronger

[whocares1]

RJ shot 4/10 against Lu Dort which isn’t exactly something to be happy about.

RJ also shot 2/5 against Turner.

So when good defenders are actually guarding him, he’s putting up bad efficiency.

He’s been bad against good competition and bad against good competition. He strives in games where the defense allows him to take (and him make) completely wide open threes because that’s the shot they want him to take.

In the playoffs it was proven that if you have a strong first defender on Barrett + a legitimate rim protector that RJ wasn’t going to make much of an impact. He has not added anything to his game to prove that he’s gotten better in those areas.

So if theres a good perimeter defender on him and a legit rim protector down low, he'll struggle, like 95 percent of the league would in that situation? Pretty soon people gonna be blaming him for not hitting shots where he's fouled as well.

Bro we are not talking about RJ this much because he’s supposed to be a role player. Does RJ have a quick first step? Can he create easy scoring opportunities for himself consistently? Does he draw double team coverage against good teams? Answer those questions and then get back to me. Because if the answer to all of that is no then why do we waste our time talking about him. You guys love to say we focus on the bad but stars are consistently good for a reason.