Rookie Recap: RJ Barrett

This article is a facsimile of an earlier publication on The Basketball Writers (TBW), which recently closed its doors.

There's not much sugar left to coat this season with, and that has nothing to do with the pandemic-related stoppage. The New York Knicks fell short of expectations yet again.

The rotations were muddled, the front office and coaching seats had little continuity, and the pieces on the roster do little to complement each other.

But there is hope in the darkness.

Rookie RJ Barrett wasn't at his most efficient, but he showed enough to inspire the organization to continue building around him.

Barrett is a volume scorer who needs his touches, rhythm and the ball in his hands to be at his peak. The Knicks drafted him not just with that understanding, but with the expectation that they would provide the volume he needs. But Barrett has barely shot 40 percent from the floor in his rookie campaign, and the struggling Knicks around him haven't helped matters.
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Since the advent of the 3-point line, only thirty rookies have taken at least 13 field goals and three treys a game. Of the group, Barrett's effective field goal percentage of 44.5 is 27th, only ahead of Jamal Mashburn, Brandon Jennings and Emmanuel Mudiay.

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