NBA Draft 2019: 5 best fits for R.J. Barrett
By Ian Levy
2. New York Knicks
Every other team on the list provides at least a somewhat similar context for Barrett — he plays big minutes as a rookie, being handed a ton of responsibility for handling the ball, scoring and creating for others. As the Knicks’ roster stands right now, that would be the case as well. Kevin Knox will soak up scoring opportunities, but responsibility for creation would largely fall to Barrett and Dennis Smith Jr. as an incredibly young group looks to take shape together.
However, it’s widely assumed that Kevin Durant is on his way to New York, possibly with Kyrie Irving in tow as well. If one or both of those players join the Knicks (and Barrett is not packaged in a trade for Anthony Davis) the context becomes radically different. In this scenario, his offensive responsibility is dramatically reduced. He’s most likely coming off the bench and sharing second-unit creation responsibilities with Smith Jr. and possibly even some additional veteran free agents who were drawn to the Knicks rapidly increasing championship probabilities
For all his talent, Barrett has a lot of rough edges that need to be sanded down. While New York is a high-pressure environment, the focus on him would be dramatically reduced with Irving and Durant on the team. He’d have a more structured role to develop in and likely catch far less blowback when he inevitably makes a mistake.