For most of this season, there was negative coverage of RJ Barrett. Despite him averaging 20 points per game, many Knicks fans as well as media were calling for RJ Barrett’s minutes to be swallowed up by Quentin Grimes, Emmanuel Quickley, and Josh Hart. And this came right after RJ signed a 4-year, 107 Million dollar contract extension last offseason. Even early on in this playoffs, Stephen A. Smith called for his benching live on ESPN. But RJ, wouldn’t let the hate get to him, and has been proving this playoffs he’s a crucial piece for the Knicks. He was the Knicks second leading scorer in the Cavs series at just over 17 points per game, and hit many big shots for them throughout the series. He was third in minutes, behind only Brunson and Josh Hart, as coach Thibs knew that RJ was key for them to win and couldn’t take him off the floor. Something that often gets forgotten about his game is that RJ is a very good defender, and provides a two-way impact with his scoring and defense. He was one of the Knicks three best players in this series, and is a huge reason they advanced. He’s used the disrespect and hate to fuel him, and Barrett is proving all the doubters wrong.
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