Getty RJ Barrett of the New York Knicks drives against Scottie Barnes of the Toronto Raptors.
New York Knicks starting small forward RJ Barrett has been named to Bleacher Report’s top 10 NBA wings under 25 with the highest ceilings.
The 23-year-old Barrett ranked seventh ahead of Sacramento’s Keegan Murray (no. 8), San Antonios’ Devin Vassell (no. 9) and Indiana’s Bennedict Mathurin (no. 10), who rounded up the list.
Ahead of Barrett are Orlando’s Paolo Banchero and his teammate Franz Wagner (no.3), Toronto’s Scottie Barnes (no. 2), Portland’s Shaedon Sharpe (no. 4), Charlotte’s lottery pick Brandon Miller (no. 5), and Minnesota’s Jaden McDaniels (no. 6).
“The 23-year-old would rank higher on this list if it were easier buying into his becoming a long-distance threat, but forgettable connection rates from three (34.3 percent) and the foul line (70.9) don’t exactly inspire a ton of confidence,” wrote Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley, who came up with the list.
Barrett shot 31% from long distance last season, the worst in his career as he continued to decline from shooting 34.2% and a career-best 40.1% in the previous two seasons. But Barrett was still able to maintain his 20-point average with improvement in his finishing around the rim from 55% the previous season to 59% last season, according to Cleaning The Glass.
Barrett has shot well from the 3-point distance, hitting 8-of-15 in five warmup games during Canada’s FIBA World Cup buildup. But the FIBA 3-point distance is much shorter than the NBA.
Barrett has emerged as one of Canada’s leaders, with Denver Nuggets star Jamal Murray withdrawing from participating in their 2023 FIBA World Cup campaign that begins tomorrow, August 25, in Indonesia against France, led by his Knicks disgruntled teammate Evan Fournier.
Quentin Grimes Mourns Loss of College Teammate
Quentin Grimes mourned the untimely death of his University of Houston teammate Reggie Chaney in the middle of his offseason camp with former Knicks guard Anfernee Hardaway.
“Man, I can’t believe this! #RIPReggie,” Grimes posted on his Instagram story shortly after learning the heartbreaking news.
Chaney, 23, died Monday. The former Cougars forward was found by a family friend unresponsive in a bedroom at an apartment in Arlington, Texas, according to a Houston Chronicle report.
The 22-year-old Grimes has been busy this summer with offseason workouts, from linking up with 15-year NBA veteran JJ Redick at the Hamptons to participating in the USA Basketball training camp with the U.S. Select Team in Las Vegas and now with Hardaway.
Knicks Banking on Internal Growth to Defy ESPN Lowly Projection
The Knicks will be banking on the internal development of their young players, such as Barrett and Grimes, to improve on their second-round exit last playoffs.
They are expected to finish sixth in the Eastern Conference next season with a 46-36 record, according to ESPN’s 2023-24 NBA season predictions, a slight drop from their 47-win total last season.
Their decision to run it back with a minor tweak — replacing Obi Toppin with Donte DiVincenzo in their projected rotation — is not enough for ESPN’s panel of experts to rank them above the Cleveland Cavaliers, who they handily beat in the first round of the playoffs last season.
The Cavaliers have added veterans Max Strus, Georges Niang and center Damian Jones to their young core of Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen to address their shooting woes and lack of physicality.