Knicks' RJ Barrett pushes to a new level
Knicks guard RJ Barrett takes a shot against Thunder center Isaiah Roby during the second half of an NBA game on Saturday in Oklahoma City. Credit: AP/Garett Fisbeck
The big games just keep coming for RJ Barrett.
The Knicks’ second-year shooting guard scored a career-high 32 points Saturday, 22 of which came in the second half of the team’s 119-97 win at Oklahoma City. In the last six games, the 20-year-old is averaging 22.5 points.
Barrett’s previous career high had been 28 and Barrett’s teammates were determined to help him break that mark once he got close in the fourth quarter.
"I was trying to make sure he got his 30 ball," said Julius Randle, who had a triple-double in the game. "He had been playing extremely well, for sure. I’m happy for him. He will have a lot more in his career."
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said that Barrett’s work ethic has pushed him to the next level.
"He’s been putting in extra work for quite a while now and it carried over to the break for him," Thibodeau said. "He did a great job over the All-Star break, getting away but working on his game each and every day. I think his confidence has come from this preparation.
"He’s shooting the ball really well, he’s getting down well, he’s finishing well ... He’s reading the game really, really well. The game tells you what to do, so when he comes off on a pick and roll to know what his options are, know the progression of the play, knows how to read the defense."
Barrett said he and the rest of the team were motivated to show Saturday that they were much better than the one that lost to Milwaukee by 33 points on Thursday.
Said Barrett: "In Milwaukee, we weren’t really us, we didn’t really feel like we played as hard as we could. Today, we had to show who we are and just be tough at both ends of the floor."
Barbara Barker is an award-winning columnist and features writer in the sports department at Newsday. She has covered sports in New York for more than 20 years.
