R.J. Barrett only wants to play for the New York Knicks

As the 2019 NBA Draft approaches, R.J. Barrett has made his desire to become a member of the New York Knicks as clear as possible.

The New York Knicks are projected to select R.J. Barrett as the third pick of this years’ NBA Draft. However, the Knicks do have a history of not retaining and developing their lottery picks. Barrett’s willingness to join a struggling young Knicks team is a breath of fresh air.

On an appearance on ESPN’s First Take, Barrett recently told Stephen A. Smith that he is “built for this” when asked if he can handle the spotlight of playing in New York. Since Barrett is only meeting with the Knicks, it is a no-brainer to select him at third and help him develop areas where he must improve upon (defense, three-point and free throw shooting).

Future NBA star

In his lone season at Duke, Barrett averaged 22.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 0.9 steals, on 45.4 FG%, 30.8 3P%, 66.5 FT%, in 35.3 minutes per game in 36 appearances.

Despite a disappointing exit from the NCAA Tournament, Barrett showed us that he is physically and mentally prepared for the challenge of taking his talents to the NBA.

Barrett’s overseas FIBA experience should be worth noting, as he led his U16 team in scoring despite being the youngest player at 14-years-old. Additionally, he had his best performance (38 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists) in a victory against John Calipari’s USA team in the U19 FIBA World Cup. Canada went on to win the gold medal the next game, led by Barrett throughout the tournament.

Because of his international experience, two Nike Hoop Summit appearances, and winning MVP in the Basketball Without Borders camp (among others), Barrett was regarded as the number one draft pick for some time.

At 6-7 and 202 pounds, Barrett is a pure SF and will fit in perfectly with a young Knicks team that currently has two SF’s under contract (one being Kevin Knox). Barrett has a long summer ahead of him as he will surely showcase his confidence and work ethic in order to excel in New York.

Final thoughts

This season, Barrett has proven that he is NBA-ready just like his former teammate, Zion Williamson. Although Williamson surpassed Barrett as the projected number one pick in the NBA Draft, this won’t stop him from confidently putting his heart and soul into becoming a great NBA player.

Although the Knicks organization and fanbase had high hopes of being chosen to select first in the NBA Draft, having the third spot isn’t so bad when highly-coveted picks R.J. Barrett or Ja Morant will still be available.

The best-case scenario for the Knicks this summer would be to sign a top-tier free agent or two aside from choosing Barrett. However, if the Knicks fail to land at least a superstar during free agency, they will have to play the long game and build their team naturally in hopes of competing for an NBA championship in a few years.

Hopefully, the Knicks won’t make the same mistake (again and again) and focus on growing their young team with R.J. Barrett moving forward.