5 NBA players who can make a leap by cutting down on turnovers
The shooting guard who can get to the next level by cutting their turnovers: RJ Barrett
Thus far, I’ve touched on three All-Stars who could vault themselves into perennial All-NBA candidates by harvesting low-hanging fruit. RJ Barrett will not be the fourth. In fact, Barrett might not even be an average NBA player. He’s a below-average defender, scores well below league-average efficiency, and has a paltry assist-to-turnover ratio. He managed to start 73 games and play the 22nd most minutes in the league last season, but the Knicks were an abysmal minus-10.0 points per 100 possessions worse with him on the court compared to when he sat. If he wants to continue logging heavy minutes for a deep New York Knicks team, he needs to improve significantly.
While Barrett needs help in most phases of the game, boosting his assist-to-turnover ratio would be a great place to start. Last season, 76 players averaged at least 2.0 turnovers per game (10 games minimum), and Barrett had the sixth-lowest assists per game figure at 2.8. Among shooting guards, his assist-to-turnover points added per 36 minutes of plus-1.39 was the 13th lowest and sixth lowest of players to play more than 1,000 minutes.
Unlike Jalen Brown and Lauri Markkanen, Barrett didn’t suffer from lost ball turnovers but rather bad pass turnovers. His 73 bad pass turnovers were the 55th most in the league, but he paired that with only 486 points generated from assists. The bad pass turnover leaderboard is populated by the league’s best passers and high-usage rookies thrust into the deep end for developmental purposes. Barrett is the only player in the top 75 for bad pass turnovers to not eclipse 500 points generated from assists.
The best way for Barrett to reign in his turnovers is to reign in his passing aggression. With Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle, the Knicks don’t need Barrett to force the issue as a playmaker. They need him to hold onto the ball and keep the offense ticking. Barrett was the worst high-usage player in the league last season, and his offensive production, relative to his usage, looked like a rookie on a bad team trying to figure out the league.
The Knicks project to be a good team next season, and if there isn’t a significant turnaround from Barrett, he should see his minutes lost to Immanuel Quickley, Donte DiVincenzo, and possibly even Evan Fournier. While Barrett has a ton of work to do, simply cutting down his turnovers may be the best way to stay in the rotation.