The New York Knicks, a team that has won just one playoff series in over 20 years, have placed a lot of hope on the shoulders of RJ Barrett, a talented young wing they took with the No. 3 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.
He has played well in spurts, but he hasn’t put it all together for an extended period of time.
However, in December, he is averaging 23.7 points a game while shooting 48.4 percent overall and 43.3 percent from 3-point range, and thanks to his stellar play, the Knicks recently went on a surprising eight-game winning streak.
On Friday, Barrett had one of the best games of his young career, scoring 44 points and shooting 14-of-20 overall while making all six of his 3-point attempts.
44 PTS
7 REB
4 AST
6/6 3PMRJ Barrett had a NIGHT in the Garden. pic.twitter.com/icpIXRtKbm
— NBA (@NBA) December 24, 2022
The outburst came in a contest against the Chicago Bulls at Madison Square Garden, and fans were not only pleased with his performance but also with how he has been playing lately in general.
RJ Barrett really coming of age lately . Knicks have won 8 out of their last 9
— Bengals 10-4 🐅 (@Fresh_Bentley) December 24, 2022
RJ Barrett carrying the Knicks to the half like pic.twitter.com/A9bWWHNTnL
— Big Knick Energy (@BigKnickEnergy_) December 24, 2022
However, some are still frustrated at how inconsistent he can be, especially early in the season.
RJ Barrett has to be the most bipolar player ever
— Tray Staten (@TStaten4) December 24, 2022
RJ Barrett first month of every season and RJ Barrett after that pic.twitter.com/H3Ioqa2LSZ
— BlamesDolan (@blamesdolan_) December 24, 2022
RJ Barrett if the first 25 games of an NBA season didn’t exist pic.twitter.com/Jwomp7PJ9e
— JACK SETTLEMAN (@jacksettleman) December 24, 2022
With his big game on Friday, Barrett did something no other Knick had ever done – not even Patrick Ewing or Walt “Clyde” Frazier.
RJ Barrett is the first player in Knicks history with multiple 40-point games at age 22 or younger
— Knicks Stats (@NY_Knicks_Stats) December 24, 2022
Unfortunately, New York missed some free throws in the closing moments of the game, allowing DeMar DeRozan to hit a long jumper just before time expired to give the Bulls a 118-117 victory.
The way things have gone for the Knicks for at least the past two decades, it seems fitting that Barrett’s monster game would be wasted in a heartbreaking loss.
But if he builds on this outing and plays consistently well throughout a long NBA season, the Knicks will have another definite cornerstone to build around.
