RJ Barrett gets his shot to prove Anthony Edwards wrong
RJ Barrett of the Knicks controls the ball against the Celtics at Madison Square Garden on Saturday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
RJ Barrett files away slights, keeping them in the back of his mind for inspiration. Some are voters, the ones who left him off the All-Rookie team four seasons ago and the lack of mentions in recent seasons for defensive honors. And then there are the words of Anthony Edwards.
Two seasons ago, with Julius Randle smothered by the Timberwolves’ defense, he passed to Barrett, who misfired on a last-second 20-footer as the Knicks fell to Minnesota by one point.
In the postgame interviews, Edwards talked about that play and noted, “Gladly RJ caught it, and if he made the shot, we would’ve lived with it. Because that’s who we wanted taking the shot. We didn’t want anyone else taking it.”
Now, as the Knicks (4-5) face the Timberwolves (5-5) on Monday on the road, Barrett remembers that.
“It’s whatever,” he said. “He said something, I don’t know. He said something funny after the game-winner. So I don’t know, whatever.
“I look forward to playing against everybody. But he’s a good player. It’s going to be fun to go up against him, go up against their team. They got a good team. They’re very good offensively, so it’s going to be fun.”
Barrett never lacks for confidence, even as his shooting has endured its ups and downs. That season in which Edwards jabbed at him was his best shooting season, as he converted 44.1% overall and 40.1% from three-point range. Last season he dipped to 40.8% and 30.2%, and this season he has struggled to 27.5% from beyond the arc.
He started the season with a 3-for-18 night in Memphis, missing all six of his three-point attempts. Barrett and coach Tom Thibodeau have insisted they had no worries because he endures stretches like this and that his hard work usually brings him back. On Saturday against Boston, he had 27 points and shot 9-for-15, including 3-for-5 from three-point range.
Right now the Knicks’ focus is less on their offense and more on getting their defense in line. With a sprained right knee sidelining Mitchell Robinson, they are without their rim-protecting backstop. Quentin Grimes, who was inserted into the starting lineup Friday for his defensive prowess, sat out Saturday with the same soreness in his left foot that shut him down for most of training camp and the early part of the season.
“We have scouting reports, we know what every player does,” Obi Toppin said. “Every player on our team should be able to guard one through five. We work extremely hard in practice. Coach Thibs emphasizes it: Defense is going to win a lot more games than offense is. As soon as we click on the defensive side, I think we’re going to be a very dangerous team.”
For now, the focus is on the Timberwolves. For Barrett, that means an eye on Edwards.
While the Minnesota shooting guard has had his own critics this season — some in his own locker room have questioned his conditioning — there is one part of Edwards’ resumé that Barrett admires: his role in the Adam Sandler movie “Hustle,” in which he played a trash-talking star prospect.
“It was tough,” Barrett said. “It was tough. He did a good job, for sure.”
Asked if he’d like to follow Edwards into film, Barrett said, “Oh, yeah, I’ll be in one one day. You’ll see. I’ll be in one.”
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.
