RJ Barrett spoke with the media on the first day of training camp, opening up about his All-Rookie team snubs, his hopes for the upcoming season, and his thoughts on new teammate Obi Toppin.
Barrett admitted his omission from both All-Rookie teams last season bothered him a lot but also said that he welcomes it and called it motivation for next season, saying he now has an extra chip on his shoulder. Barrett averaged 14.3 ppg, the fourth-best among rookies, along with 2.0 ast and 5.0 reb last season but did not appear on either All-Rookie Team. He also noted that he believed he was playing his best basketball of the year when the season was stopped in March due to coronavirus.
When asked about his expectations for next season, he stated that he wants to make the playoffs. “I’m trying to win. We shouldn’t expect anything less.” The Knicks have been predicted by Vegas to have the worst record in the league. Clearly, Barrett holds himself to much higher standards. He says he is very happy with where his game is right now and that he used the long offseason to study film and work hard, feeling like the lack of a summer league should not affect him. Barrett has been working out with assistant coach Johnnie Bryant every day and added that he has known Kenny Payne since he was young and that the former Kentucky assistant had even tried recruiting him.
The former Duke star revealed that he has been working out at the same time as Obi Toppin, noting that he was a hard worker and very talented. He told everyone that he was looking forward to playing with Toppin and says he feels he can work well alongside the Dayton star due to his athleticism and skill on the offensive end.
When asked about Tom Thibodeau’s status as a hard-driving head coach, Barrett rejected the idea, admitting that he didn’t find Thibs’ coaching style to be much different than what he’s already used to. “That’s what I like. To me, it’s being a good coach,” Barrett said. In fact, he actually praised coach Thibs – saying he knows how to win and that “We’re lucky to have him”.
Can Barrett lead the Knicks to the playoffs next season? If this interview was anything to go by, we’re going to see a refreshed and motivated RJ Barrett with a point to prove.
Check out CP’s predictions for how the Knicks’ lineup and rotation will look along with J. Ellis from The Knick of Time Show below.
