Getty RJ Barrett reacts during a game between the New York Knicks and the Atlanta Hawks.
The New York Knicks continued their winning ways in Game No. 1 coming out of the All-Star break, besting the Washington Wizards in comeback fashion. And while Julius Randle stole the headlines coming out of the contest with a 46-point effort, he was hardly the team’s only hero.
For his part, Immanuel Quickley scored 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting off the bench. Meanwhile, Mitchell Robinson returned from a monthlong absence with a 10-point, 12-board double-double and Josh Hart continued to look like an impact acquisition despite the fact that his offense plummeted back to earth.
One player who was conspicuous by his absence, though, as New York was battling to hang on during the final frame was former No. 3 overall pick RJ Barrett.
Late last month, Barrett refused to talk to the media in the wake of a late benching during a nationally-televised contest. On Friday, the 22-year-old again spent the brunt of the fourth quarter watching from the sidelines.
According to Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau, however, the late-game rotations were largely a byproduct of how the game was unfolding.
Tom Thibodeau Talks Rotations After RJ Barrett Misses Majority of the Fourth Quarter for the Knicks
Asked about the level of forethought that goes into deciding which of his players are called upon to close games, Thibodeau maintained that much of what we see is a response to the quirks and trends that develop within the contests themselves.
“A lot of it is flow of the game,” Thibodeau said of his late-game lineups.
“Like I said, I love our depth. We have a number of guys that are coming off the bench that are starters. There’s no dropoff. So whoever is going good, whatever the best matchup is, that’s what we’re going to go with. …So, we need everyone.”
Barrett played relatively well during his 28 minutes on the floor, scoring 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting and adding three assists, two rebounds, a steal and a blocked shot. Nevertheless, Thibodeau opted to look another way down the stretch. And the Knicks play-caller made it clear that such moves are just going to happen sometimes.
“We’re asking guys to sacrifice. Some guys would like to start and they’re not starting. And some guys would like more shots and more minutes. That’s common. But everyone has to put the team first.”
Josh Hart Makes Declaration About Knicks as a Playoff Team
After four straight wins and a move up to the six spot in the Eastern Conference standings, it’s hardly a stretch to say things are going well for the Knicks right now. And Hart has been at the epicenter of the upward move with his energy and two-way play.
It’s early yet, but the deal sending the veteran wing to NYC is looking like one of the ultimate win-wins of the NBA trade deadline. And Hart believes that the winning can continue well into the postseason, too.
“I think we can be a really good team that can make a run,” Hart said on the eve of the Knicks’ win over the Wizards, via the New York Post. “I’m not gonna sit here and say that we can be the two-seed or whatever it is. But we’re a team who can make a run, who I think teams won’t want to play.”