What can Knicks fans expect from RJ Barrett after the break?

Before the nine-day break that included the All-Star Game and the weekend’s various events, Knicks star RJ Barrett was in the midst of a five-game slump that had many fans ready to (for some reason) give up on the 22-year-old.

Don’t get me wrong, Barrett has been bad and there’s no doubt about that, but with how well he has played for the majority of this season, a five-game stretch of bad play isn’t enough to warrant giving up on a player entirely.

We saw similar struggles from Barrett prior to the All-Star break last season, yet after his time off, he played some absolutely incredible basketball for the remainder of the season. This begs the question; Will Barrett drastically improve his play following the All-Star break like he did last year?

Here is what you can likely expect out of Knicks’ RJ Barrett in the season’s final stretch

In his final five games before the break, Barrett averaged 15.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.0 assists while shooting a rather gross 36.6% from the field and 28.6% from beyond the arc on 5.6 attempts.

This is a bad stretch for any player, let alone one who is supposed to be a franchise guy for a Knicks team that desperately needs him to be. However, there is plenty of hope for Barrett to turn things around toward the end of the season. Fans shouldn’t give up just yet.

There are 22 games left in New York’s season and there is no better time for Barrett to pick things up than the final stretch of the season when the team will be looking to improve their playoff standings.

When looking at how well Barrett played following the All-Star break last season, fans may get over-excited. Considering that in his first game back against the Heat, Barrett dropped his career-high 46 points, there is certainly reason to be excited. Despite this, though, I don’t think Barrett will play THAT incredibly when the Knicks make their return.

This is not a bad thing, though. Don’t get me wrong, but I just don’t think Barrett will average 26.9 points per game in his first 10 matchups back. However, I think we will see a more consistent and efficient Barrett that won’t force his offense, especially with the team playing as well as they were prior to the break.

RJ Barrett won’t be as explosive with his performances, but will hopefully be much more consistent

There was a long stretch of games this season, 30 games in fact, where Barrett was playing some pretty darn good basketball. In these games, Barrett averaged 21.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists while shooting a rather efficient 46.3% from the field and 38.1% from deep on 5.3 attempts.

This version of Barrett is likely the best we have seen out of him during his time in the NBA. There was no need to worry about whether or not he was playing poorly and he was rather fun to watch. However, it all came crashing down during the five games before the break.

Entering the Knicks’ first game back on Feb. 24, Barrett will have nine days of rest under his belt and plenty of time to understand the role he must play now that both Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson have certified themselves as All-Star level talent in this league.

Alongside this, Barrett could have some pressure for his spot in the starting lineup to be taken following newly acquired Josh Hart’s incredible play in his first three games with the Knicks. Hart may not necessarily be “better” than Barrett, but he is certainly more consistent on both sides of the ball and would mesh better with Brunson and Randle.

Despite this, I’m confident Barrett will step up to the challenge and play a more calm game of basketball where he isn’t consistently forcing his offense and is potentially working more off-ball.

While the off-ball thing may be a bit of a stretch considering the role he has played his entire career, it would still be nice to see. At the very least, Barrett needs to go back to hitting his threes at a more consistent rate, as the spacing he provides is much needed for this Knicks offense.

The Knicks don’t need Barrett to be the number one guy for this team anymore, so it is reasonable to expect a decrease in shots, but a drastic improvement in efficiency and consistency. This is the Barrett that I not only expect to see but also the version the Knicks need if they want to push their way into the playoffs.

• Published on 02/22/2023 at 5:00 PM EDT
• Last updated on 02/22/2023 at 5:00 PM EDT