New York Knicks forward RJ Barrett has had his ups and downs this season, but he is quietly putting up a very solid stretch of games, even with teammate Julius Randle taking up most of the spotlight.
Over Barrett’s last three games, he is averaging:
- 25 PPG
- 7.3 RPG
- 4.0 APG
- 46.4 FG%
- 43.8 3PT%
- 1.3 STL
- 1.0 BLK
These are all-star caliber stats for Barrett, who is making an exceptional impact on both ends of the floor and is a large contributor to the Knicks’ five-game winning streak, their second-highest winning streak in nearly a decade (2020-21’s nine-game winning streak being the highest).
Barrett’s latest performance was a methodical one against the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday.
Despite fouling out in the last minute of regulation, missing the overtime period, Barrett finished with 22 points, six rebounds, and shot 4-for-7 from beyond the arc and was a key role in the overtime victory.
RJ Barrett is turning around his season:
Something that really stands out in Barrett’s three-game stretch is his scoring efficiency. On the season, he is averaging 19 PPG but shooting just 41% from the field and 30% from 3.
However, he does have his best overall offensive rating of his young career by a wide margin, owning a 114.0 offensive rating, thanks in part to this recent hot stretch.
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While those numbers are below league average aside from the offensive rating, he has shot the ball at a much more efficient rate during his latest stretch of games. This could not have come at a better time for the Knicks, as they are playing their best brand of basketball all season and have jumped up in the Eastern Conference standings to sixth, only 2.5 games out of fourth.
It can be hard to notice what Barrett is doing with Julius Randle returning to his All-NBA form, having scored at least 30 points in three of his last four games. However, Barrett is quietly making a very impressive turnaround to what was an inauspicious start to his fourth NBA season.
Barrett’s resurgence, along with Randle’s, has formed a big 3:
With Barrett’s renaissance, the trio of him, Randle, and Jalen Brunson have now formed a legitimate big 3 on the Knicks.
All three guys have played in every single game this season for the Knicks, and with each of them playing at the top of their games right now, they make for a tough matchup for opponents.
Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau expressed his desire to run the offense through them and how it is a good luxury to have the three of them together on the court.
“We were playing through Jalen and and Julius and we wanted to get the double team and play off that [in overtime on Wednesday]. Usually when we have RJ, it gives us the third guy so we can play three-man game pretty effectively with the three of them.”
Tom Thibodeau via MSG Network
Barrett and New York’s big 3 will look to continue his very solid stretch of games when the Knicks take on the Bulls in Chicago for the second consecutive game on Friday night.
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