R.J. Barrett injury update: Knicks star injured in final minutes of blowout

New York Knicks fans are worried about the status of R.J. Barrett after he suffered an injury late on Tuesday night. 

In a game that New York Knicks had no shot of winning against the Denver Nuggets, head coach Tom Thibodeau decided to leave his star players on the hardwood. This included R.J. Barrett. Unfortunately for the Knicks, Barrett suffered an ankle injury. It’s unclear how much time he’ll miss.

With the game wrapped up, and Denver ultimately winning 132-115, fans are furious with Thibodeau for leaving the starters in. That decision very well could lead to Barrett missing extensive time.

R.J. Barrett’s ankle injury came during garbage time for the Knicks

Barrett’s injury could have been prevented. Thibodeau’s minutes management here was awful. With the game basically over, there was simply no need for Barrett or any other starter to be on the floor. Fans across all five boroughs in New York City are furious with the head coach.

Barrett is in the middle of a great year for the Knicks, as he’s averaging 18 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists for the team. The 18 points a night has been great to see, as the 6-foot-6, 215-pounder is really taking a major step during his third NBA season.

Now, though, everyone will be waiting to see just how serious this ankle injury is. Following the loss to Denver, New York is now 24-31 on the season and 5.5 games back of the Brooklyn Nets for the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference standings.

In order for New York to go on a strong run to try and grab a playoff spot, they’ll obviously need Barrett healthy and making plays on the court. We should find out soon how long New York will be without him.