Star-J Barrett Sets the Tone

Two newsletters in one day? Barrett's big Game 3 warrants it.

Good…Evening? That’s right baby! Two KFS Newsletters a day keeps the Cavs at bay.

The last time I sent out a newsletter after the usual 5 am time was back on December 3, when New York’s home loss to the Dallas Mavericks had me feeling so dispirited that I couldn’t wait to voice my displeasure. So it’s only appropriate that the second time this happens, it’s because I couldn’t contain my excitement about what we just witnessed.

On that note, here’s an abbreviated edition of the usual recap in which I recognize all three stars of the game, but pay special attention to the young man whose star shone the brightest.

🏙 Game Night 🏙

Who: Cavs

Where: MSG

When: Sunday , 1pm

TV: ABC

🤕 Personal Injury Report presented by Weiss & Rosenbloom: The news came down late Saturday afternoon that Quentin Grimes is listed as QUESTIONABLE with a contused right shoulder. If he can’t go, I’d imagine we’ll see Josh Hart start in his place, as Tom Thibodeau has wanted either Hart or Grimes matched up on Donovan Mitchell whenever he’s out there.

Might Grimes’ absence also open up more extended minutes for Deuce McBride? Assuming Thibs is comfortable running each of Brunson, IQ, Hart and RJ for 36 minutes a pop (spoiler alert: he is), it won’t be necessary to extend the rotation past eight men if he doesn’t want to. That said, I wouldn’t mind seeing New York’s second year guard get some extended run, even if only in the first half.

💫 Stars of the Game 💫

⭐️ Mitchell Robinson: Happy to steal from my frequent podcast collaborator, Fred Katz, from his brilliant Athletic piece from earlier today that focused on New York’s outstanding center rotation, and Robinson in particular. Writes Katz:

Robinson has mastered the art of simultaneously cutting off a passing lane and still defending a shot. He does it when guards get free in pick-and-rolls, too, leaving the Knicks’ anchor to defend both the screener and the ballhandler. He’ll angle one arm down, taking away the pass to the roller, and will keep the other one up high to eclipse the rim with his massive paws…

“I’ve been here five years,” Robinson said. “I’ve studied, learned the game. I learned how effective I am when I don’t bite on pump fakes.”

Plays like these became the norm for Robinson on Friday, which (especially considering the circumstances) may have yielded his best defensive performance of the season. Once he or Hartenstein was set up, neither budged. The Cavs scored only .69 points per possession once they got into their half-court offensive, according to Cleaning the Glass.

That pretty much sums up Mitch’s maestro performance from Game 3.

Well, that and this must watch clip of Robinson in the locker room after the game, summing up Cleveland’s hesitancy around the rim as only he can.

Long live Mitch.

⭐️ ⭐️ Jalen Brunson: Could have put Mitch here and slid Brunson down to the third spot, just as there’s probably an argument that Jalen should get top honors. So I split the difference.

Yes, Barrett was the lead story (as he should be) and his early contributions were vital, especially in light of the tenor of the rock fight that took place.

But somehow, some way, the Knicks needed to bring this game home, and for that, they turned to the same place they’ve looked all season anytime they needed a bunch of very tough buckets in a very difficult situation.

Brunson did not start out well in this game, making just two of his first eight shots. He finished by making eight of his last 10, and missed just once on his final nine attempts from inside the arc. Simply put, as Cleveland’s appetite for trapping Brunson waned (in large part due to New York’s ability to aptly counter the coverage), they stood no chance of stopping him.

Wow is right. Brunson (21 points, six assists) was incredible.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ RJ Barrett: Pretty much since the day he was drafted, the lion’s share of attention on RJ’s value (or lack thereof) has focused on his ability to make shots. This has often resulted in an over-the-top amount of negativity for a few reasons. Primarily, efficiency has been an issue for Barrett from day one, but almost as important, scoring has been far and away RJ’s main method of bringing value to his team.

In other words, if he wasn’t scoring, his impact on the game was often viewed as minimal.

Given this reality, for as much as Barrett’s impressive shooting - both behind the arc and around the rim - stole the show on Saturday night…

…it was what else he did against the Cavs in Game 3 that should really be the headline.

All things considered, this was arguably the most complete game of Barrett’s career. He finished with eight rebounds, including two on the offensive glass. His efficiency on his buckets was also top notch, with a 79.2 effective field goal percentage - his second highest of this season, trailing only his 44-point outing against the Bulls. Defensively, he was as big a component to New York’s suffocating effort as anyone besides Mitchell Robinson.

The only line in the box score that didn’t really stand out was his assists - just three in total - which is ironic, because RJ’s passing was undoubtedly the most impressive part of his night.

The first time RJ touched the ball, we knew it was going to be a special night, because he squared up and fired from three without a moment’s hesitation. The shot was pure.

That was impressive in its own right, but it also provided a backdrop for the rest of the first quarter. Rather than use an early make to justify taking a shot anytime he touched the ball, Barrett looked for any excuse to get his teammates open looks instead.

The above pass to Robinson was the first instance of that, and even though Mitch wasn’t able to convert, RJ had the right idea here, with Jarrett Allen coming up so high to wall off the drive and Evan Mobley at the free throw line eying Julius Randle. The pass might have been a little off, but Barrett put it where only Mitch could get it, and over the course of the game, Robinson became much more comfortable converting these looks when he had the chance.

On New York’s very next possession, RJ didn’t initiate the action put still found a way to help a teammate get a good look as he set a back screen for Quentin Grimes’ defender, springing the guard for a good look from three that missed. The next time down, he’d again try to get his shooting guard going:

How many times have we seen Barrett gain a head of steam towards the basket, only to put his blinders on an challenge the opposing team’s rim protector with a shot that had little to no chance of going in?

Not here. RJ occupied Allen’s attention for just long enough for Grimes to sprint in from the corner and get the ball on the move towards the hoop. Barrett didn’t get an assist because the initial shot got blocked, but the basket Quentin scores has his fingerprints all over it.

As the game went on, RJ’s decision making on when to challenge and when to pass was impeccable. On the top clip, for instance, he takes a shot over Allen’s outstretched arm, but it’s on the move, with a good angle, and most importantly, with RJ’s strong hand. Make or miss, you live with those results.

A little later in the first quarter, after he scored a few transition buckets, Barrett again had a chance to barrel forward into a thicket of defenders, but instead made maybe my favorite pass of the night:

The thing I love so much about this play is the high level of intuition shown by New York’s fourth year wing.

After Barrett’s initial move, Jarrett Allen is taken out of the play. The advantage has been created. At that moment, the most important thing is to maintain that advantage by quickly moving the ball to the next available open landing spot. He does that with the pass to Brunson.

As Tom Thibodeau as heard saying in a timeout later in the game, “create the space first, then create a shot for your teammate.” RJ’s quick decision was also imperative because Caris LeVert was still in the backcourt, and time was of the essence to get a shot off before he could recover. Like the plays above, the shot doesn’t end up going in, nor would Barrett have been credited with an assist if it did. That’s what makes his willingness even more impressive.

Still in first quarter, and Barrett wasn’t done with his passing clinic:

If you’re keeping track, that’s four instances of RJ Barrett using the threat of his own offensive game to generate an advantage situation for a teammate and get nothing out of it in the box score.

This play might deserve less than full credit because the fling to Randle was a little off target, thus giving Ricky Rubio time to recover, but I’m giving him a complete pass. Look how deep Barrett gets before he turns in midair and fires to his teammate. That’s just fantastic vision and understanding of where the ball needed to go. Even though Julius doesn’t get the shot off (and would eventually miss a foul line jumper where he tried to draw the contact), Ricky Rubio on Randle is a matchup worth targeting any time you can get it.

One more:

Give credit to Darius Garland here, who timed his recovery to Immanuel Quickley in the corner perfectly and forced Quick to put the ball on the deck and make a tough floater.

Regardless, this is yet another instance of RJ trusting that a decent shot for himself wasn’t as good as a potentially better opportunity for his teammate.

When you consider all of this passing together with Barrett’s efficiency, rebounding and defense, there’s an argument that Friday night was the best game of RJ Barrett’s career. If nothing else, there’s an argument between this and one of his 40-point explosions or one of the nights he’s taken over in the fourth quarter of a win.

There can be no argument, however, about whether this was the most important game Barrett has played as a Knick. Given the situation and dearth of any semblance of offense early on in this game, RJ’s ability to be an efficient and unselfish offensive engine when his team desperately needed it is all the evidence any Barrett supporter needed to justify their undying faith in him over the years.

When a player does that, on this sort of stage, it makes you reconsider any previous judgments you may have had about his ceiling and likely outcomes. When the player who does it has averaged 20 points a game over the last two years, it makes you feel downright silly for ever questioning his worth.

On the bright side, I’ve never been so happy to feel ridiculous in my life.

That’s it for today! If you enjoy this newsletter and like the Mets, don’t forget to subscribe to JB’s Metropolitan, or his hockey newsletter, Isles Fix. See y’all soon! #BlackLivesMatter