RJ Barrett returns to Knicks' lineup with no restrictions
Knicks guard RJ Barrett runs downcourt against the Clippers in the first half of an NBA game at Madison Square Garden on Monday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
RJ Barrett was back in the starting lineup Monday night after sitting out the last two games with what the team called left knee patellar tendinopathy. Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said that there were no restrictions on him.
“He went through practice,” Thibodeau said of Sunday’s practice session in which Barrett was a full participant. “Medical cleared him. Ready to go.”
Barrett was the Knicks leading scorer over the first four games, averaging 21 points per game (Jalen Brunson has passed him overall with 24.7 points per game after his 45-point effort Friday).
Waiting on Randle
The Knicks had two days off after the loss in Milwaukee, hopeful that was enough time for Julius Randle to begin to regain his shooting touch.
Randle entered Monday’s game dead last in field goal percentage among players averaging at least 10 points per game — converting just 27.1% overall. He was brutal in the paint where he normally thrives and was underperforming everywhere — hitting 22.5% from three and just 61.8% from the free-throw line.
“Just steady improvement,” Thibodeau said. “Just keep getting better. We knew it would take some time.
“To me, it’s trust your work. Take good shots. There’s a lot of things you can do. You can make plays. Get easy buckets for us. I think once he gets some easy buckets [that] will help too. Once he sees the ball go in. We know what a gifted scorer he is. It will come around.
“It’s a lot of things,” Thibodeau said. “It could be an offensive rebound. It could be a cut off the ball. It’s moving without the ball. It’s all those things and don’t hesitate. When you’re open, let it go.
“If you went back to the [season-opening] Boston game I thought it was really good. The Atlanta game was great. A lot of good plays in that game. There’s been some ups and downs. But the good the thing is — the rebounding is there. And that’s one thing. You can play well without shooting well. Just do other things.”
“I feel like a lot of his shots are similar to last year,” Josh Hart said. “We just have to find a way to get him into rhythm. Maybe we find him in spots where he can be aggressive, where he can get downhill. Where he can get to the free-throw line, see a couple go in and get that confidence. I think the biggest thing [is] to get him the ball in positions where he can be effective to give him confidence.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
