RJ Barrett started the new season on fire, hitting his first nine kicks from the ground, including all three attempts at three points, in the Knicks’ initial defeat in Indiana.
Tom Thibodeau’s team will return to the venue on Saturday night, and Barrett will try to rediscover the pitch after his percentages have plummeted dramatically in the next four games.
The second-year guard was hardly the only culprit who failed in Thursday’s 100-83 loss to Toronto in Tampa. The Knicks finished a miserable 3-of-36 long distance against the Raptors, including an NBA record of 23 consecutive mistakes with none made by the five starters.
Barrett, the third overall choice in Duke’s 2019 draft, hit just 26.3 percent (19 of 72) on the pitch since his scorching start on December 23 against the Pacers. He also made 21 consecutive attempts beyond the three-point arc.
In fact, Barrett (0 out of 8) and little striker Reggie Bullock (0 out of 9) became the first teammates in NBA history to go from 0 out of 8 or worse in a three-point streak in the same game.
Barrett was not released to the media after Thursday’s game, and the Knicks (2-3) did not train or make anyone available on New Year’s Day before Saturday’s visit to Indiana.
Thibodeau had said earlier in the week that Barrett “has been amazing” and “played a complete game” in consecutive wins against Milwaukee and Cleveland. Despite his poor number of shots, 20-year-old Barrett averages 15.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists in five games.
“He played well without shooting well. We know the shooting is coming, ”said Thibodeau on Wednesday. “He’s doing a lot of things for us defensively, moving well without the ball. He’s going down the hill.
“There is a lot of room for him to grow. He has been diligent in his work. Having only one wingman to do things he can do, his versatility is a great asset for the team and a willingness to make moves for people. “
Thibodeau said after Thursday’s defeat that he would like to review the game’s film before commenting directly on Barrett and the team’s bad shooting game, especially as the Knicks took the league lead with a 3-point percentage (45) , 9%).
“I think when teams play zone you will have a lot of open eyes, but let’s take a look at that,” said Thibodeau. “It is the right move. For me, it’s like you take the right shot, if you take the move, if you force the defense to collapse, you kick out, and if one of your snipers is open, that’s all I pass.
“So, if a guy is open, there is no one less than five feet away, you have to shoot him.”
Even with his team shooting blank, Thibodeau noted that the Knicks led by seven points in the third quarter of Thursday – and they were still within three with less than nine minutes remaining in the fourth – due to their defensive commitment. The Knicks awarded 105.2 points per game, the fifth lowest in the NBA.
“You always think you can do better. [Toronto] did not shoot a large percentage. If you have a team like this with 100 points, you should have a chance to win, ”said Thibodeau. “If we had done any of our three, we would probably have a good chance of winning.
“Our defense is something we have to continue to work on – ball restraint, ball pressure. We are not perfect. I think if we try hard, fly, put pressure on the ball and our weak side is aware, we can cover up [our] errors. “