RJ Barrett doesn't feel he has received the proper respect around the league, whether it be from his All-Rookie Team snub or his recent absence from a GM poll that showed him no love in terms of a rising talent in the NBA.
Why does the former third overall pick get so little respect outside of New York? Barrett believes it may simply be because the Knicks aren't liked outside of their passionate fanbase.
"Everybody else doesn't like us," Barrett said, via Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. "I mean, I don't know. It's weird. I've gotten respect, but at the same time, there's a lot of disrespect. But that's fine. All the guys that they want to put in front of me or whatever, I'm in their heads. So it really doesn't matter."
Barrett says it doesn't bother him, and believes his game will prove his point. He helped himself in that regard last season, averaging 20 points while many players who were selected to the 2020 All-Rookie Team ahead of him took steps backward. At just 22 years old, Barrett plans on taking more steps forward this season, even if those on the outside refuse to notice.
"I wasn't on the All-Rookie teams but look where I ended up," Barrett said. "Where are some of those guys, you know what I mean?"
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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