New York Knicks guard RJ Barrett has dared teams to keep leaving him open despite his horrific shooting record from three this season.
On Friday night, the Knicks suffered an agonising 111-101 loss to the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors at Chase Center. The defeat has left New York with an 8-8 record as they sit ninth in the Eastern Conference.
During the game, Barrett shot 6-for-19 from the field to score 18 points. After missing his last 19 threes, the 22-year-old snapped his drought by hitting one - but he missed five others and has only made one of his past 23 attempts from beyond the arc.
Amid his deep shooting slump, Barrett- who has been ill - has continued playing big minutes and has no plans to decrease his volume of attempts while challenging Knicks opponents to keep leaving him wide open. He said: “It’s an easy bucket, in my opinion, so I’d rather them do that.”
Barrett is a talented young two-way wing who is widely considered one of the best players on the Knicks roster. He can guard the oppositions’ star player while is a solid offensive piece in his own right.
It is likely the Canadian will bounce back at some point this season and enjoy a fine stretch of form. Barrett added: “Sometimes in basketball it happens. No one is perfect. Just continue to get in the gym… Try to groove your shot. That’s all you can really do.
“If the shot is wide open I’m going to shoot it. I don’t have a conscience that way. I’m comfortable. I work too hard on my game.”
Barrett has struggled in 2022/23 after enjoying a solid season last year. He is currently averaging 18.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game while shooting 40.2% from the floor and just 25.6% from three, which is why he has been left open by opponents at times.
Earlier this year in the offseason, the Knicks signed Barrett to a four-year extension that could be worth $120 million this summer. The franchise will hope he - along with fellow stars Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle - can find form and fire New York to the playoffs.
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau continues to play Barrett in major minutes and is not overly concerned about the wing’s shooting struggles. The coach said: “It’s been the same all three years. He started slowly and it’s a steady climb.
“I’m very confident in his shooting ability. So, just continue to put the work in, get some easy buckets. His shooting will come along. I’m very confident about that.”
