NYKMentality wrote:Where are all you little R.J. Critics who've criticized a 22 year old kid for "FG%" during REGULAR SEASON?

TS% in the 2023 NBA Playoffs
RJ Barrett: 55.7%
Karl-Anthony Towns: 55.3%
Klay Thompson: 54.9%
LeBron James: 52.9%
Bam Adebayo: 51.8%
James Harden: 51.6%

✨STAR-J BARRETT!!!!✨

Now it's PLAYOFFS TIME and a KID RJ = Most efficient Player within the entire Postseason.

NOW IT'S TIME FOR YOU R.J. CRITICS TO ACKNOWLEDGE IT

Wow, that's impressive. Is he #1 really? Wow

ramtour420 wrote:

NYKMentality wrote:Where are all you little R.J. Critics who've criticized a 22 year old kid for "FG%" during REGULAR SEASON?

TS% in the 2023 NBA Playoffs
RJ Barrett: 55.7%
Karl-Anthony Towns: 55.3%
Klay Thompson: 54.9%
LeBron James: 52.9%
Bam Adebayo: 51.8%
James Harden: 51.6%

✨STAR-J BARRETT!!!!✨

Now it's PLAYOFFS TIME and a KID RJ = Most efficient Player within the entire Postseason.

NOW IT'S TIME FOR YOU R.J. CRITICS TO ACKNOWLEDGE IT

Wow, that's impressive. Is he #1 really? Wow

NYKMentality wrote:Players age 22 or younger to average at least 17/5/3 throughout their 1st 12 Playoffs Games:

Tracy McGrady
Derrick Rose
LeBron James
Luka Dončić
Ja Morant
Donovan Mitchell
Russell Westbrook
Bradley Beal
Kevin Garnett
Giannis Antetokounmpo
R.J. Barrett

Where's Kobe Bryant @?

Normally, these arbitrary x/x/x stats are stacked. Yours is particularly BS. Why?
Kobe played his first NINE playoff games as a rookie.

And come Postseason Play? This 22 year old kid been extremely efficient and imo the MVP of this team thus far.

So proud of RJ.

I for one, believe we should be more patient about RJ Barrett's upside given his age, and that its too quick to draw conclusions about whether he has peaked out. IN a lot of respects he has been quite good so far, but he's also wildly inconsistent. HE simultaneously could be our best trade chip to upgrade the roster to be a championship contender, and the player with the single most upside potential to get us to a championship. All of these things are true at once - its not necessary to polarize the views on two different sides.

But cherry picking of numbers to equate him somehow with Kobe to make the above point, and then bump the thread solely after good games, and then use that to criticize other is an intellectually dishonest debate tactic. It can be done in a less sensationalistic way that makes a more valid point.

VDesai wrote:There's a way to be optimistic and positive about the team without being intellectually dishonest, or grating, or calling out others for using any kind of critical lens to analyze the team. Ideally the forum is about the ideas/topics/debates and not about whether the posters themselves are allowed to have a specific opinion.

I for one, believe we should be more patient about RJ Barrett's upside given his age, and that its too quick to draw conclusions about whether he has peaked out. IN a lot of respects he has been quite good so far, but he's also wildly inconsistent. HE simultaneously could be our best trade chip to upgrade the roster to be a championship contender, and the player with the single most upside potential to get us to a championship. All of these things are true at once - its not necessary to polarize the views on two different sides.

But cherry picking of numbers to equate him somehow with Kobe to make the above point, and then bump the thread solely after good games, and then use that to criticize other is an intellectually dishonest debate tactic. It can be done in a less sensationalistic way that makes a more valid point.

Well done!!!

VDesai wrote:There's a way to be optimistic and positive about the team without being intellectually dishonest, or grating, or calling out others for using any kind of critical lens to analyze the team. Ideally the forum is about the ideas/topics/debates and not about whether the posters themselves are allowed to have a specific opinion.

I for one, believe we should be more patient about RJ Barrett's upside given his age, and that its too quick to draw conclusions about whether he has peaked out. IN a lot of respects he has been quite good so far, but he's also wildly inconsistent. HE simultaneously could be our best trade chip to upgrade the roster to be a championship contender, and the player with the single most upside potential to get us to a championship. All of these things are true at once - its not necessary to polarize the views on two different sides.

But cherry picking of numbers to equate him somehow with Kobe to make the above point, and then bump the thread solely after good games, and then use that to criticize other is an intellectually dishonest debate tactic. It can be done in a less sensationalistic way that makes a more valid point.

I don't think most people are taking this cat seriously at this point. He's basically the court jester. Look at me! Look at me!

EwingsGlass wrote:

NYKMentality wrote:Since the All-Star break (Playoffs Included)

R.J. Barrett has gone...

27 Games.

189/418 @ .452%

This kid @ only 22 years old has been BALLING THE FK OUT!

You say this without context as though .452 is good. League average is .476.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_stats_per_game.html

I added flair to try and match your enthusiasm despite my use of facts and math to substantiate my points.

Not for SMALL FORWARDS it's not.

And what's the "league average" for 22 year old kids?

technomaster wrote:I mean, seriously. :) This thread is just a sick way of rationalizing that RJ was a solid draft pick. And a fun way to say that in 4 years of the NBA, RJ can still hold Kobe's jock, though in his 4th year, Kobe really was taking off (Phil Jackson took over as coach that season, Eddie Jones was dumped to give Kobe more touches and room to play, and the Lakers won a title!). He really took it to another level in year 5.

In year 4, RJ is still discovering himself and has more growing pains. This was looking like the season he'd take the next step - he was red hot to start 2023, but when he had that hand injury, Brunson took the reins and never gave them back. Then we acquired Hart who occupies a lot of the same spots on the floor.

In year 3, RJ had to deal with 2 other interchangeable pieces in Burks and Fournier in the line up, plus drafted Grimes.

Then there's the obvious bit where Randle and RJ aren't the most ideal teammates with their current skill sets. Randle's more ideal wing teammate would be a deadeye shooter like Klay Thompson, while RJ's more ideal big man is more like Obi Toppin!? :) Haha.

Anyway - the Knicks have some choices to make after this year's championship season. The front office will need to determine whether to continue the organic youth movement through development of our own players, vs moving some of our assets to get a more ideal supporting cast.

Playoff RJ has been legit.

The Lakers put together a cast to allow Kobe max flexibility (beyond Shaq) - in year 4 Kobe had the likes of Glen Rice, Rick Fox, Robert Horry, Derek Fisher, Tyronne Lue, and Brian Shaw.

If the Knicks brass believes they need to count on RJ, you have to think about what the right cast would be for RJ to reach his potential. OR determine that the core options of the team are Randle and Brunson, and RJ just needs to be the best 3rd option he can be. He got paid, he's under contract. But if this is the case, then the fans need to lay off the man because we should accept that he's doing what he's asked.

We all know RJ isn’t Kobe. That said, the past 2 years has been an echo chamber that he’s worse than Stephon Marbury

Vmart wrote:RJ has a lot of talent but shooting isn’t one of his strong points. Shooting 43% in this modern NBA is atrocious. They point blank let you walk into the lane just to guard the three point. I don’t see how RJ can’t shoot at the least 50% within the 3 point line. Kobe played in an era where everything was packed in. So shooting 45% at the time was considered good. You just have to see Jalen Brunson and Stephen Curry and what they shoot in two point range.

The kid should not shoot more than three 3 pointers per game. It's just not his game.

Panos wrote:NYKM not posting any stats tonight?

He had a bad game after playing very well first 2 games of this series and mvp of the first round win over Cleveland. Do you want an RJ-hater merit badge?