As the Knicks get set to open their season on Wednesday night, Gio says the key to the ‘Bockers taking the next step is for RJ Barrett to take the next step individually.
Unfortunately, as Barrett enters his fifth season, Gio doesn’t see any next steps happening for the former third overall pick.
“I just think those guys are who they are at this point,” Gio said, when talking about the Knicks homegrown core. “If you want to tell me what would change - and we’ve had this conversation that for I don’t know how many years - what would change the trajectory of that team, with the roster they have now, is that RJ Barrett would turn into a superstar, instead of just a good player. I just don’t know if he is capable of that.
“He is who he is at this point. There have been examples of guys in the league who have been very good and find that next level, and become a player you didn’t expect him to be. But I’ve seen enough of RJ Barrett to think that we’ve probably seen the best of him.”
Boomer disagrees, and believe there is more to be unlocked in Barrett’s game. But, at the very least, the Knicks can take comfort in the knowledge that their homegrown core have all developed into steady contributors, which is something they couldn’t say about previous lottery picks like Kevin Knox or Frank Ntilikina.
“[Barrett], Quickley, and Mitchell Robinson. Those are the three guys you kept here, drafted here, developed here, and they are right in the middle of their prime windows,” Boomer said. “They understand the NBA game. They’ve gotten better since they’ve been here.”