knicks1248 wrote:

EwingsGlass wrote:

franco12 wrote:

knicks1248 wrote:He reminds me of Jalen Rose without a jumper..

wish he had more higher IQ players to play with, because he is way ahead of DSJ, Mitch, Frank and Knox.

RJ reminds me of Dwayne Wade. If I recall, never the best shooter, but deceptive and able to get into the lane at will.

Funny, I was thinking Tracy McGrady. Being both a lefty and the patience to his dribble.

I don't see Barret dropping 40 or 50 points like Tmac, but if he ever gets that perimeter game up..fogetaboutit

Some of the comps we hear are interesting in that many of them took a while to put up numbers in the NBA. Jalen Rose didn't really emerge as a legit starter until his 6th season in the league (age 27). Incidentally, that's probably when his jumper finally started coming together.

RJ's a very good athlete (he can make the highlight reel dunks and finish alley oops), but thus far in the games I've watched, he moves more like a veteran wing - he gets to the basket using a combination of deception, change of pace, and physicality. This contrasts to early career Lebron, who used his physical gifts (ungodly combination of speed and power) to get to his spots on the floor. As a veteran, Lebron still has a lot of his gifts, but is also more methodical. RJ, at age 19 seems to be a bit of a savant in that respect - some shades of Luca Doncic.

(It probably deserves a separate rookie watch thread, but it'll be interesting to see how this year's race shapes up. Based on my informal scanning of box scores, he had the best debut of the bunch. Among the others: Hachimura 14pts, 10rbds; Ja Morant with 14/4/4)

technomaster wrote:RJ seems to have improved his game since college. Scouting reports during the pre-season said that his team defense and efficiency have improved tremendously. His shooting will hopefully improve over time as he gains confidence and feel (whether or not he improves his form).

Some of the comps we hear are interesting in that many of them took a while to put up numbers in the NBA. Jalen Rose didn't really emerge as a legit starter until his 6th season in the league (age 27). Incidentally, that's probably when his jumper finally started coming together.

RJ's a very good athlete (he can make the highlight reel dunks and finish alley oops), but thus far in the games I've watched, he moves more like a veteran wing - he gets to the basket using a combination of deception, change of pace, and physicality. This contrasts to early career Lebron, who used his physical gifts (ungodly combination of speed and power) to get to his spots on the floor. As a veteran, Lebron still has a lot of his gifts, but is also more methodical. RJ, at age 19 seems to be a bit of a savant in that respect - some shades of Luca Doncic.

(It probably deserves a separate rookie watch thread, but it'll be interesting to see how this year's race shapes up. Based on my informal scanning of box scores, he had the best debut of the bunch. Among the others: Hachimura 14pts, 10rbds; Ja Morant with 14/4/4)

Well said. Barrett is “a basketball player” more than an Skywalker athletic freak. Jordan, Dominique Wilkins, Lebron, Dr J all had a freakish ability but sustained great careers as they became more fundamental with age. They matured with power and worked to get outside shot to make their other weapons valuable. Early Kobe might be a good comparison. I think RJ is a better passer. I can’t in good conscious go any further to say RJ can become that. Both were effective going to the rim at young ages. Kobes ability to create space on his shot came by the time he was 21 and he was off an running. RJ is not a phenom but just a very good player at 19 with a very high ceiling. WE can only hope1!

NYDiva wrote:I was so, so happy with his activity on defense last game. He contested everything and totally played within himself. Had presence of mind. Didn't force anything.

I steeled myself for possible chucking, out of control drives to the lane, getting lost on defense. He's a rookie, so I was ready to forgive it all. None of that was there. He played like a straight up VET. Took advantage of the lack of rim protection from the Spurs and drove to the basket. That shot he made to close out the 3rd quarter was a thing of beauty. As was the FIRE he displayed.

This kid is an absolute gem. He clearly needs to work on his jumper as well as the foul shooting. He'll have those 4-13/3-15 nights because he's a rookie and this is the NBA. But I don't think he'll ever stop bringing the relentless energy and the willingness to do what he can to WIN.

I agree with everything you said and had the same feelings about him being a possible chucker. But he is a high IQ baller. He wanted to be here as well.

He is gonna be the type of player that other players want to play with.

When Mitch starts to get on track as well...

martin wrote:

newyorknewyork wrote:

NYDiva wrote:I was so, so happy with his activity on defense last game. He contested everything and totally played within himself. Had presence of mind. Didn't force anything.

I steeled myself for possible chucking, out of control drives to the lane, getting lost on defense. He's a rookie, so I was ready to forgive it all. None of that was there. He played like a straight up VET. Took advantage of the lack of rim protection from the Spurs and drove to the basket. That shot he made to close out the 3rd quarter was a thing of beauty. As was the FIRE he displayed.

This kid is an absolute gem. He clearly needs to work on his jumper as well as the foul shooting. He'll have those 4-13/3-15 nights because he's a rookie and this is the NBA. But I don't think he'll ever stop bringing the relentless energy and the willingness to do what he can to WIN.

I agree with everything you said and had the same feelings about him being a possible chucker. But he is a high IQ baller. He wanted to be here as well.

He is gonna be the type of player that other players want to play with.

When Mitch starts to get on track as well...

I'll take it one step further... he has the personality to thrive in NY

It seems like the guy teams want to build around now are big, playmaking wings. Barrett fits the bill and can be a franchise player if developed properly. The front office better be figuring out the best players to put around him right now.

martin wrote:

newyorknewyork wrote:

NYDiva wrote:I was so, so happy with his activity on defense last game. He contested everything and totally played within himself. Had presence of mind. Didn't force anything.

I steeled myself for possible chucking, out of control drives to the lane, getting lost on defense. He's a rookie, so I was ready to forgive it all. None of that was there. He played like a straight up VET. Took advantage of the lack of rim protection from the Spurs and drove to the basket. That shot he made to close out the 3rd quarter was a thing of beauty. As was the FIRE he displayed.

This kid is an absolute gem. He clearly needs to work on his jumper as well as the foul shooting. He'll have those 4-13/3-15 nights because he's a rookie and this is the NBA. But I don't think he'll ever stop bringing the relentless energy and the willingness to do what he can to WIN.

I agree with everything you said and had the same feelings about him being a possible chucker. But he is a high IQ baller. He wanted to be here as well.

He is gonna be the type of player that other players want to play with.

When Mitch starts to get on track as well...

I'll take it one step further... he has the personality to thrive in NY

Jmpasq wrote:

martin wrote:

newyorknewyork wrote:

NYDiva wrote:I was so, so happy with his activity on defense last game. He contested everything and totally played within himself. Had presence of mind. Didn't force anything.

I steeled myself for possible chucking, out of control drives to the lane, getting lost on defense. He's a rookie, so I was ready to forgive it all. None of that was there. He played like a straight up VET. Took advantage of the lack of rim protection from the Spurs and drove to the basket. That shot he made to close out the 3rd quarter was a thing of beauty. As was the FIRE he displayed.

This kid is an absolute gem. He clearly needs to work on his jumper as well as the foul shooting. He'll have those 4-13/3-15 nights because he's a rookie and this is the NBA. But I don't think he'll ever stop bringing the relentless energy and the willingness to do what he can to WIN.

I agree with everything you said and had the same feelings about him being a possible chucker. But he is a high IQ baller. He wanted to be here as well.

He is gonna be the type of player that other players want to play with.

When Mitch starts to get on track as well...

I'll take it one step further... he has the personality to thrive in NY

Now he does but lets see how he feels when he goes 40-124 the next 2 years

Like any normal 2nd year player.
He will do what he is told by FO and coach.
If not why we need another diva?