RJ Barrett had the good fortune to be drafted by his Dream Team, the New York Knicks.
Unfortunately, the Knicks have been chronically mismanaged for decades. However, that appears to be changing - and it is great news for the former Duke star.
New York has made some really key moves. First they hired some better management in Knicks President Steve Mills and GM Scott Perry.
And second, they’re building a solid young core. Barrett was last year’s big draft pick; this year they added Obi Toppin and Immanuel Quickley, who many are calling the steal of the draft.
They’ve also got Kevin Knox, Julius Randle, Reggie Bullock and Mitchell Robinson to form a solid young core.
And they hired Tom Thibodeau to coach them.
The combination of these things is giving Knicks fans hope for the first time in forever and Barrett is benefiting.
Here’s what Thibodeau has to say about this second-year star: “I like the way he’s mixing it up. He’s scored a number of layups off cuts. He’s running the floor a lot better. He’s moving without the ball. And then I think he’s gotten a lot more confident in his shot.”
He also doesn’t have to play point guard, which he did last season at times, and can focus on his strengths.
If owner James Dolan can let his people do their jobs, the Knicks might actually have a group they can work with, and that would be a major change for the storied franchise.