Rj Barrett Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Notes: Simmons, Knicks Chemistry, Thibodeau, Tatum

November 14th, 2021 at 9:06pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Should disgruntled Sixers point guard Ben Simmons rejoin his Philadelphia teammates without the proper attitude, the feel-good vibes of the team’s 8-6 season start could take a hit, opines Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Simmons has yet to suit up this season, hoping for a trade out of town.

“I don’t think that’s something we thought about yet,” swingman Danny Green said of a potential Simmons-Sixers reunion this year. “We don’t think it’s going to happen any time soon. But it’s something that hasn’t really crossed our minds yet.”

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

With the Knicks set to play their next three contests at Madison Square Garden, Tommy Beer of Basketball News writes that they have an opportunity to improve the shaky chemistry that has led to the club going 2-4 in its last six games. Starters Julius Randle and RJ Barrett have struggled lately. Beer adds that playing at home will allow for head coach Tom Thibodeau to hold more practices than are possible on the road, which could help the Knicks kick-start their energy.
To help improve the on-court performance of the Knicks‘ starting five, head coach Tom Thibodeau opted to give his starters stricter set plays and less improvisational optionality in a productive practice today, per Marc Berman of the New York Post. “The first thing you ask [is] are we playing hard enough and executing properly?” Thibodeau said. “If what we’re doing is not good enough, that’s when you change… In all fairness to Julius [Randle] and [starting point guard Kemba Walker], because of who they are, they probably get the brunt of what’s going on. The reality is we have to play well together as a group. It’s not one, two guys. We can say new guys, old guys. We can say first unit, second unit.”
Celtics All-Star forward Jayson Tatum is struggling through one of his worst-ever shooting stretches, prompting Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe to consider the possible cause of the issue and potential solutions. Tatum currently has a career-worst shooting line of .388/.322/.742.

Knicks Notes: Barrett, Fournier, Randle, Walker

November 13th, 2021 at 5:15pm CST by Arthur Hill

Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau lost patience with his starting lineup Wednesday and with the theory that they need more time together to be effective. RJ Barrett, one of the holdovers from last season, agrees that the starters haven’t played well enough but believes the problems will eventually work themselves out, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post.

“Everything takes time — any new team,’’ Barrett said. “No one’s going to have it right away off the bat. It takes time. We’re trying to figure out who we are if we’re going to be consistent. I think this whole team. Even though we were together last year, the guys that were here, we’re still learning each other, so we’re gonna keep growing, improving.’’

New York is 7-6, but all five starters are posting negative plus-minus ratings. Evan Fournier, who was added in free agency over the summer, believes the offense has gotten “very stagnant” when the starting lineup is on the court together.

“We started really well, shooting the ball well, sharing the ball, et cetera,” he said. “Now it’s not as good. So are we playing not as well because we are missing shots or are we missing shots because we aren’t sharing the ball.’’

There’s more from New York:

The Knicks aren’t getting their money’s worth from Fournier so far, Berman states in a separate story. They signed him for $78MM over four years, but Thibodeau appears to have lost confidence in him late in games. Berman points out that Fournier has been benched for the final 14 minutes of the last two contests, both losses, and he isn’t providing the clutch shots or hustle on defense that the team needs.
Another issue is a lack of chemistry between new point guard Kemba Walker and Julius Randle, Berman adds. Both players are used to controlling the ball, and a scout tells Berman that Randle “pouts” when he feels he doesn’t have it enough. Berman notes that Randle, who had five turnovers in Friday’s loss to the Hornets, is starting to revert to iso-ball habits. “I definitely think there’s games where we’re being outworked, outrebounded,’’ Randle said. “Our identity’s not our defensive end (like) how it has been. But we know that. We know we got to fix it. We just got to keep working at it, just keep coming together and stay together.’’
Sopan Deb of The New York Times examines what has gone wrong with the Knicks’ defense, which was the core of the team’s identity last season.

Knicks’ Thibodeau On Starters’ Struggles: “We’ve Gotta Figure It Out”

November 11th, 2021 at 11:24am CST by Luke Adams

Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau benched his starters for the final 14 minutes of the team’s loss to the Bucks on Wednesday, as ESPN’s Tim Bontemps writes. After the game, Thibodeau said the five-man group – Kemba Walker, Evan Fournier, RJ Barrett, Julius Randle, and Mitchell Robinson – “just didn’t play well,” adding that “we’ve gotta figure it out.”

The Knicks’ starters were especially ineffective on Wednesday — Robinson was minus-15 during his minutes, while the other four starters were minus-22 or worse.

However, their struggles weren’t just a a one-game aberration. The Knicks’ starting five, which has been the most-used lineup in the NBA this season, has an abysmal -14.4 net rating (including a 119.3 defensive rating) in 205 total minutes. That’s the second-worst net rating of any NBA lineup that has logged more than 80 minutes so far in 2021/22.

Thibodeau isn’t buying that the group just needs more time to develop chemistry, according to Bontemps.

“You know what they say: When it’s 10 games, they say you need 20,” Thibodeau said. “When you say 20, they say you need 30; at 30, you say 40. And before you know it, the season is over. So that’s a bunch of bulls–t.”

The Knicks’ bench, led by Derrick Rose, Alec Burks, Immanuel Quickley, Obi Toppin, and Taj Gibson, has been productive this season and has been a key factor in the team’s 7-5 start. It’s possible moving one of those players into the starting lineup could help jump-start that group and shore up the defense, but Thibodeau may prefer not to make such a move when the reserves are playing so well in their current roles.

Knicks Notes: Quickley, Barrett, Walker

November 7th, 2021 at 6:29pm CST by JD Shaw

Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley is working to avoid a sophomore slump, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. Quickley has struggled through the team’s first nine games, averaging 5.7 points on just 30% shooting from the floor and 23% from deep.

“I don’t think it’s really a slump,” Quickley said. “I haven’t made some shots but it’s a long season. It’s not a 10-game season. It’s an 82-game season. I just continue to stay in the gym, work hard, trust God and I’ll keep my confidence high.”

As a rookie last season, Quickley averaged an impressive 11.4 points on 39% from three-point range. The 22-year-old is confident that he’ll find his stroke in due time.

“It’s an 82-game season,” Quickley said. “I’m not too worried about it. That just means I’ll play great the rest of the season if I’m not playing great right now. They just told me to be myself, which means have confidence, play hard and keep your energy on the floor. That’s what I continue to do.”

Here are some other notes out of New York:

RJ Barrett is becoming the team’s iron man due to his physical and mental toughness, Berman writes in a separate article for the New York Post. Barrett has played an average of 35.3 minutes this season, coming off a campaign where he scored 17.6 points in 34.9 minutes per contest. Head coach Tom Thibodeau is known for liking durable players who can play for long stretches, something Barrett has grown accustomed to doing.
Barrett praised teammate Kemba Walker during a wide-ranging interview with Steve Serby of the New York Post, explaining that the veteran point guard brings a palpable energy to the club. “He’s a great person, he’s a great human being overall. We all really get along with him,” Barrett said of Walker. “He’s really not about himself, he really wants the whole team succeeding, no matter who it is, no matter who scores or whatever, he’s cheering the loudest. That’s great to know.” Walker signed with the Knicks in free agency this past summer.

Knicks Notes: Barrett, Walker, Fournier, Robinson

October 31st, 2021 at 11:56am CST by Arthur Hill

Zion Williamson was the top prize in the 2019 draft, but the Knicks should be grateful they wound up with RJ Barrett instead, writes Adam Zagoria of Forbes. Williamson, who is recovering from offseason foot surgery, watched Saturday night as his former college teammate scored a career-high 35 points in New York’s victory over the Pelicans. Forbes notes that in their two-plus seasons in the NBA, Barrett has played in 134 games compared to Williamson’s 85.

“I saw him after the game,’’ Barrett said, per Marc Berman of The New York Post. “He just said he was happy for me, stuff like that. But it’s cool. I can’t wait till he gets back out there on the court. It’s cool to just see him there, we don’t see each other often anymore because of the schedules.’’

There’s more from New York:

Kemba Walker is playing without the knee pain that limited him to 43 games last season, Berman details in a separate story. While Walker can’t beat defenders to the rim like he used to, he seems to have regained his shooting touch, connecting on 50% of his attempts from the field through six games after hitting just 42% a year ago. “This is the best I’ve felt in a very long time,’’ he said. “My days consist of me taking care of myself. I don’t mean that when I’m in the facility with the trainers. I mean that when I’m home. When I’m in my room, I’m taking care of my knee. That’s like my whole day. There’s a lot of preparation leading up to these games for me.’’
The Knicks are fans of the NBA’s emphasis on not calling fouls on defensive players when shooters jump into them, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. While some teams have struggled to adapt, Evan Fournier believes the league is moving in the right direction. “It was actually very frustrating for me. For years — I don’t like to compare anything — but coming from Europe we have guys that aren’t as physical, aren’t as athletic, and yet the game is more physical there,” Fournier said. “So as a rookie, I kept fouling and fouling and fouling. And I was like, ‘What the hell?’ I’m skinny. I’m not that strong. And I think the league did a great job. We have to adjust. As a fan, I think it’s better. You don’t want to see guys trying to trick referees all the time.”
Mitchell Robinson had two serious injuries last season, so he understands what Bulls forward Patrick Williams is going through, Bondy adds in a separate piece. Williams suffered torn ligaments in his left wrist after Robinson’s flagrant foul this week, and Robinson felt the need to defend himself against accusations on social media. “I was just reading stuff and people trying to make it seem like it was something that it’s not, which that’s what people want to do,” Robinson said. “I went down myself. I know the pain. I know what it is. So when somebody goes down, I feel what they feel. I went through two injuries back-to-back. That’s the worst feeling in the world.”

Knicks Notes: Barrett, Kemba, Thibs, Culture

October 26th, 2021 at 10:04pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Third-year Knicks swingman RJ Barrett is honing in on the defensive side of the ball this year, per Greg Joyce of The New York Post.

“The biggest part I’ve been trying to work on is my defense. I want to be first-team All-Defense,” Barrett said after a recent team practice. “Try to make every night a struggle for anybody I’m guarding.”

“He’s a terrific player,” head coach Tom Thibodeau raved about the 21-year-old wing, drafted with the third pick out of Duke in 2019. “We are asking him to do more this year, but I think he’s ready for that challenge.”

There’s more out of Madison Square Garden:

New Knicks starting point guard Kemba Walker has had a bit of an up-and-down start to his Knicks tenure, but Thibodeau would not give up on the 31-year-old vet, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. Through his first three games, Walker averaged 10.3 PPG across 25.7 minutes, with a team-worst -17 plus-minus rating. “We need everyone to play well, so it’s not falling on Kemba,” Thibodeau said ahead of New York’s contest this evening against the Sixers. “Kemba is a good player. We know that. We’re still finding our way. Just be who you are.” The confidence Thibodeau had in Walker seems to have borne fruit in the short-term: Walker just led the Knicks to a 112-99 defeat of the Sixers. The point guard had a team-high 19 points (on 7-of-15 shooting), plus five assists, two boards, two steals and a block.
While the effort of the Knicks may vary from game to game, the commitment of Thibodeau never does, says Steve Popper of Newsday. “Thibs is a hell of a coach,” Sixers head coach Doc Rivers raved ahead of their teams’ matchup Tuesday night. “Worked with me for three years (on the Celtics), felt like nine, I’m not sure. But he’s just good. He works his butt off. He’s in love with the game of basketball. If every player had that same passion they’d be better players. Same for coaching.”
Though drama may persist for several other playoff-level teams in the Atlantic Division, most notably the Sixers and the Nets, the Knicks have established a steady, supportive culture around All-Star forward Julius Randle and Thibodeau, writes Barbara Barker of Newsday.

Knicks Pick Up 2022/23 Options On Barrett, Toppin, Quickley

October 18th, 2021 at 3:06pm CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks have picked up their fourth-year option on wing RJ Barrett, as well as their third-year options on forward Obi Toppin and guard Immanuel Quickley, reports Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter link). The three options are for the 2022/23 season.

As a result of the moves, all three players will now have guaranteed salaries for ’22/23. Barrett will make $10.9MM, Toppin will make $5.35MM, and Quickley will earn $2.32MM, as our tracker shows.

Barrett will now become eligible for a rookie scale extension during the 2022 offseason, while the Knicks will have to make decisions on Toppin’s and Quickley’s fourth-year options (for 2023/24) a year from now.

Toppin struggled to make an impact as a rookie last season, averaging just 4.1 PPG and 2.2 RPG in 62 games (11.0 MPG), but Barrett and Quickley played key roles for a Knicks team that ended a seven-year playoff drought.

Barrett put up 17.6 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 3.0 APG in 72 games (34.9 MPG), while Quickley recorded 11.4 PPG with a .389 3PT% in 64 contests (19.4 MPG).

New York Notes: Randle, Barrett, Millsap, Ntilikina

September 19th, 2021 at 5:16pm CST by JD Shaw

Knicks All-Star big man Julius Randle recently discussed a variety of subjects with SNY.tv’s Ian Begley, including his career-best 2020/21 campaign, Mitchell Robinson‘s progression and more.

Randle, 26, is coming off an excellent season with New York, averaging 24.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and six assists per game. He also shot 46% from the field and 41% from deep during those contests.

“My process, honestly, it stays the same,” Randle said. “I try to keep the main focus, the main focus. And that’s, (taking) everything day by day. Whether it’s a workout, whether it’s a film, whatever it is, I just try to give everything that I can when I’m doing what I’m doing. And I kind of let the chips fall where they may.

“I trust the work and the process of everything that I’ve done. And I have faith and belief that that’s going to pay off. I know what I sacrifice, I know what I do to prepare. And regardless of success or failure, I try not to change. I don’t know what the expectation is (for our team). I can’t even tell you what to expect from me. I just know that I’m just gonna keep improving, getting better as a player. That’s just where I stand with it.”

There’s more out of New York tonight:

In the same interview with SNY.tv, Randle praised the rapid improvement of Knicks guard RJ Barrett. Like Randle, Barrett also had a productive 2020/21 season, averaging 17.6 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. “RJ’s going to be a really good player,” Randle said as part of a larger quote. “What is he, 21? I don’t know how old he is. He’s young as hell (laughs). He’s a really good player, and I can relate as far as what he’s done, and what I’ve seen from him so far in this offseason is he just keeps improving. That’s really what it’s about.”
Nets big man Paul Millsap is switching jersey numbers from No. 4 to No. 31, according to NetsDaily (Twitter link). Millsap, a 15-year NBA veteran, signed a free-agent deal to join the team last month.
Former Knicks guard Frank Ntilikina bid farewell to the team and its fans on Sunday, posting a short video on social media (Instagram link). Ntilikina was the team’s No. 8 pick in the 2017 draft. He recently signed with the Mavericks after spending four seasons in New York.

Knicks Notes: Sexton, Knox, Barrett, Lillard, Oubre

July 16th, 2021 at 3:36pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kevin Knox could be an important trade asset if the Knicks try to get Collin Sexton from the Cavaliers, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. Knox hasn’t done much over the past two seasons, but Cleveland general manager Koby Altman was very interested in the forward heading into the 2018 draft, Berman notes. The Cavs opted for Sexton with the eighth pick, and New York took Knox at No. 9.

The Knicks have a couple of connections that could help in negotiations with Cleveland, Berman adds. Chief strategist Brock Aller was a front office executive with the Cavaliers when they drafted Sexton and he remains close with Altman and owner Dan Gilbert. Sexton has the same agent as Knicks rookie forward Obi Toppin, another candidate to be sent to Cleveland in a possible deal. They are both represented by Austin Brown of Creative Artists Agency, the firm that Leon Rose ran before becoming president of the Knicks.

There’s more from New York:

Ian Begley of SNY.tv confirms the Knicks’ interest in Sexton, but cites sources who say the Cavs want a useful veteran in return. New York doesn’t have any veterans with a multi-year contract, so a third team might be necessary to get a deal done. Sexton will be eligible for an extension worth up to $168MM over five years, which would cut into the Knicks’ cap room.
Begley adds in the same story that teams in contact with the Knicks have gotten the impression that the club has little interest in trading RJ Barrett. A previous report stated that Barrett isn’t untouchable, but would likely only be available in a deal for a superstar.
One superstar who could end up being available this offseason is Damian Lillard. While it’s not clear if the Knicks would offer Barrett in a package for the Trail Blazers point guard, Berman says the team figures to be amenable to including at least three first-round picks in an offer. If Lillard does look to leave Portland, he’d likely be intrigued by the Knicks in part because assistant coach Johnny Bryant is one of his mentors from Oakland, Berman adds.
If the Knicks are able to trade for a point guard, that frees up their considerable cap room to be used elsewhere, Berman adds in a separate story. One option is Warriors forward Kelly Oubre, who is expected to lose his starting job when Klay Thompson returns. The Spurs and Heat are reportedly also interested in Oubre.
Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic identifies six free agents he believes the Knicks should consider, including point guards Goran Dragic and Spencer Dinwiddie and sharpshooters Duncan Robinson and Malik Monk.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Eastern Notes: David, Pistons, Rose, Nored, Barrett

July 11th, 2021 at 7:51pm CST by JD Shaw

The Pistons have hired George David as the franchise’s assistant general manager, according to James Edwards III of The Athletic (Twitter link).

David will report to general manager Troy Weaver, who was hired by the organization in June of 2020. David was previously with the Pistons for nearly two decades, serving in a variety of roles. This includes being the assistant GM from 2012-14.

Detroit owns the No. 1 pick in the draft and finished this season with a 20-52 record, the worst in the Eastern Conference and second-worst in the league.

There’s more from the Eastern Conference tonight:

Ian Begley of SNY examines the main factors of Derrick Rose‘s impending free agency. Rose helped propel the Knicks to playoff status this season, averaging 14.9 points, 4.2 assists and 26.8 minutes in 35 regular season games. He’ll be entering his 13th NBA season.
The Pacers are finalizing a deal with Ronald Nored to join Rick Carlisle‘s staff, according to Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files. Nored most recently served as an assistant coach with Charlotte from 2018-21, though he’s been involved in coaching and player development since 2013.
Knicks swingman RJ Barrett isn’t considered untouchable by the franchise this offseason, Marc Berman of the New York Post reports. However, Barrett – who is coming off an impressive season, averaging 17.6 points per game at just 21 years old – only figures to be available if the opportunity arises for New York to acquire a superstar.