RJ Barrett shined for the Knicks in games three and four, scoring 19 and 26 points, respectively, to help New York take both games at The Garden to grab a commanding 3-1 series lead over the Cavaliers.
Barrett’s rise over two games were vindication for many fans who stood by the former third overall pick, despite his shooting struggles this season, but Sal says the hype around Barrett has gotten too high after such a small sample size.
“People are saying it’s time to give RJ Barrett his roses…people were chanting ‘RJ Barrett’ at The Garden, but this isn’t the time to apologize about RJ Barrett,” Sal said. “There’s a reason why people like myself have been critical of RJ Barrett: he can’t shoot! That’s the problem with RJ Barrett.
“RJ Barrett, when attacking the rim like he did on Sunday, that’s when he can be effective…RJ Barrett still has issues shooting the basketball. Free throws, he shot 8-for-13 from the foul line, he’s gotta be better.”
As Sal pointed out, Barrett still missed all six of his 3-point attempts in game four, and still has a lot to clean up for him to buy into his potential.
“Stop shooting the ball!” Sal said. “Stop shooting threes, RJ! If he stopped shooting threes, maybe he can be consistent and impactful.
“I don’t want to accentuate the negative with the Knicks and RJ Barrett, I just feel like it’s a little much now that people are going the complete other way…he’s had two decent games for the Knicks. Not even great, just decent…let’s not go nuts about RJ Barrett.”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch
Listen live to WFAN:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker (just say ‘Play W-F-A-N’)