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

[NoDopeOnSundays]

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).

Last 6 games, touches per game.



Front court touches (Who the offense is going through)



Pts per touch, RJ has been much more efficient offensively in the halfcourt than Randle the last 6 games, yet we still run the offense through him at depressing levels. In terms of points per touch this season, RJ has scored the most at .371, while Randle is at .247, basically RJ should see the ball a lot more than he does.

[DOT]

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.

Fun fact

RJ is now in the 45th percentile in isolation, and 47th percentile in PnR scoring, so he's well within average in terms of efficiency from there

He's also 90th percentile in post ups, but he's only had 14 on the year, so it's more of a, he does it when he has the advantage type of deal

His spot-up shooting has taken a dip, down to just .90 ppp which is 34th percentile, but he's still technically more efficient from there than the PnR and Isolation at .81 and .87 ppp, respectively

So he's been getting a lot better at creating his own shot, though he's still not there yet.

[Clyde_Style]

Where is tonight's game thread?

Sham needs to pull up their pants and get off the xerox machine

[god shammgod]

:

In case you missed it, there's a game tonight

i didn't make the last game thread. these youngins are unreliable

[3toheadmelo]

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.

This board is fascinated by role players for some reason. And there’s still people who would take him over Ja morant

[Clyde_Style]

:

In case you missed it, there's a game tonight

i didn't make the last game thread. these youngins are unreliable

In that case, drop your drawers and get back on the xerox machine

[god shammgod]

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.

Fun fact

RJ is now in the 45th percentile in isolation, and 47th percentile in PnR scoring, so he's well within average in terms of efficiency from there

He's also 90th percentile in post ups, but he's only had 14 on the year, so it's more of a, he does it when he has the advantage type of deal

His spot-up shooting has taken a dip, down to just .90 ppp which is 34th percentile, but he's still technically more efficient from there than the PnR and Isolation at .81 and .87 ppp, respectively

So he's been getting a lot better at creating his own shot, though he's still not there yet.

are these facts really all that fun ?

[Clyde_Style]

Wakey Wakey

Game tonight

Time to Make a Game Thread

[Deeeez Knicks]

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

They are still one of the best defensive teams even with Gary Trent. RJ had a good game against the Bulls too. You guys seem to be saying that good defensive players defend better then bad defensive players, which is the case for everyone in the NBA. No doubt RJ is streaky, but its cherry picking to discredit his good games

[F N 11]

I would like to see this version of RJ against good teams. You know, the new version who is attacking consistently and actually getting the basketball. Not the one getting the ball here and there when Randle feels like.

Yes, we have to see it against better teams. I do believe this version of RJ is more ready. We have to keep feeding him, he is a rhythm downhill player first, not a spot up shooter.

[Chanel Bomber]

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.

What matters is end product.

I'm not gonna praise RJ for getting 80% of a play right and then not finishing. If he can't finish what we consider good looks, then these aren't good looks for him. So he has to improve his finishing.

He needs to add more finesse to his game, and also be smarter about his shot selection, including his drives.

Jimmy Butler is a player who was not particularly long or athletic - hence not flashy - but who had an in-between game and understood when to go to the rim or not. But his end product was always good, as he's been an efficient scorer every year he's been in the league outside of one fluke season.

I'm fine with RJ trying new things for the sake of his development so long as his open C&S 3-point shooting doesn't nosedive, because that's his only efficient shot for the time being.

[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.

Fun fact

RJ is now in the 45th percentile in isolation, and 47th percentile in PnR scoring, so he's well within average in terms of efficiency from there

He's also 90th percentile in post ups, but he's only had 14 on the year, so it's more of a, he does it when he has the advantage type of deal

His spot-up shooting has taken a dip, down to just .90 ppp which is 34th percentile, but he's still technically more efficient from there than the PnR and Isolation at .81 and .87 ppp, respectively

So he's been getting a lot better at creating his own shot, though he's still not there yet.

are these facts really all that fun ?

[F N 11]

Started the season 5-1 with Fournier, RJ, and Kemba handling the ball a lot. RJ had a hot start, all the doubters were in shambles. Then RJ, Kemba, and Fournier fell off a cliff. They fell out of rhythm because they are not spot up shooters.

Let’s call it how it is. After the Chicago win, we went back to catering to Randle who was not getting the ball as much. What we are seeing now is Randle trying his hardest to buy into letting the guards be guards. Been saying that all season.

[Oscirus]

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.

The answer to the first is yes, the second question is ridiculous because everybody knows he's slow so you're clearly walking into this hating him and the third question, isnt this supposed to be randles team? You're clearly trying to stack the deck against rj to justify your dislike against him. Its fine to dislike him, just quit creating reasons out of thin air to hate on him.

Its almost as if people dont understand the concept of player development and that not all players are all stars/ franchise players in year 3.

[god shammgod]

i don't want to hate on rj, i hope this is a turn around. seriously. but i'm not sure half a season counts as just a slow start because it's, you know, half the season. and most of his games like this seem to come against bad teams missing players. this was the easiest part of the schedule made easier by covid. but as i said last time i spoke about him, his 3 point shot seems to be coming around lately so that's a good sign that he'll at least be a productive player for us.

[DOT]

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

They are still one of the best defensive teams even with Gary Trent. RJ had a good game against the Bulls too. You guys seem to be saying that good defensive players defend better then bad defensive players, which is the case for everyone in the NBA. No doubt RJ is streaky, but its cherry picking to discredit his good games

Fun fact

RJ's 4-8 for 11 points when matched up with Gary Trent Jr.

But if you ignore that, he has never played well against a good defender.

[mpharris36]

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.

So you are saying you would rather have a offense run through P&R and shots at the rim or 3's...rather then Isolation post ups and contested step back 2's?

[K_ick_God]

Because RJ is physically mature, you all seem to believe he's 28 or something. Streaky is part of being young. Super Ja didn't have such a great 2nd season btw. He finished it well but he was not particularly super starrish during Covid.

[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.

What matters is end product.

I'm not gonna praise RJ for getting 80% of a play right and then not finishing. If he can't finish what we consider good looks, then these aren't good looks for him. So he has to improve his finishing.

He needs to add more finesse to his game, and also be smarter about his shot selection, including his drives.

Jimmy Butler is a player who was not particularly long or athletic - hence not flashy - but who had an in-between game and understood when to go to the rim or not. But his end product was always good, as he's been an efficient scorer every year he's been in the league outside of one fluke season.

I'm fine with RJ trying new things for the sake of his development so long as his C&S 3-point shooting doesn't nosedive, because that's his only efficient shot for the time being.

Yea, def. He has to finish or those shots are not good shots. I mean, Payton got good looks but would brick layups and that was not good.

For RJ I am just hopefully that he can improve and be more efficient all-around and see some signs he can do that....Nobody really knows for sure so he still has to go out and do that. Hopefully by the end of the season we will see some improvements all around.

[3toheadmelo]

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

They are still one of the best defensive teams even with Gary Trent. RJ had a good game against the Bulls too. You guys seem to be saying that good defensive players defend better then bad defensive players, which is the case for everyone in the NBA. No doubt RJ is streaky, but its cherry picking to discredit his good games

That game where RJ played great against Trent didn’t have Barnes and Siakam who are some of their best defenders.

You can’t say we’re cherry picking when that’s exactly what you’re doing with the Toronto game which skewed his stats.

We’re saying RJ played well against bad competition which is the truth. We just want to see him do it against good competition. The Bulls game is probably the only team so I’ll give you that.