Knicks Starters Starting to Shine

Over New York's past six games, Barrett is averaging 25.5 points, 5.3 boards, 3.3 dimes and 2.8 triples (while shooting 50% from behind the arc).

Game Recap: Knicks Hammer the Hawks, 117-108

New York continued their strong play in 2022, notching their consecutive victory by beating Atlanta Saturday night.

And, once again, it was the team's starters that carried the squad to victory. Julius Randle bounced back with his best game in a while, pumping in 24 points (on 10-of-21 shooting) to go along with six rebounds, a game-high nine assists, and two 3-pointers. It's worth noting that the Knicks are undefeated this season (4-0) when Randle dishes out nine or more dimes. And, dating back to the start of last season, the Knicks are 13-3 when Randle has at least nine assists.

Alec Burks, starting at point guard, had a fantastic all-around game, finishing with 17 points (4-of-8 FGs, 7-of-7 FTs), nine rebounds, eight assists, and two 3-pointers. Evan Fournier scored 18 points and knocked down four triples. 

Mitchell Robinson continued his paint domination on both ends of the floor, racking up 14 points and 13 rebounds. It was Mitch Rob's third consecutive double-double. He's averaging 15.3 points (on 86.4% shooting!), 11.3 rebounds and 2.0 blocks during this stretch. Remarkably, it's the first time in his career he's recorded a dub-dub in three consecutive contests.

And then we have RJ Barrett, who remained red-hot, tallying 26 points, five rebounds, three assists, one steal, and two 3-pointers. RJ has poured in a total of 89 points over the Knicks past three games. That's the most points he's scored over a three-game span in his young career. He's also been incredibly efficient during this stretch, shooting a scorching 53.2% from the floor, 56% from downtown and 82.4% from the charity stripe. 

Over New York's past six games, Barrett is averaging 25.5 points, 5.3 boards, 3.3 dimes and 2.8 triples (while shooting 50% from behind the arc). According to Basketball-Reference, RJ is just the fifth player in league history to match or exceed those numbers over a six-game stretch during their age-21 season. The other four members of this club are LeBron James, Jayson Tatum, Andrew Wiggins and Luka Doncic. (BTW, Barrett is the only one with fewer than ten turnovers.)

And, once again, it was Barrett constantly attacking the tin and putting pressure on the defense that contributed to his success. RJ drove into the paint 17 times last night, which led to 14 points (on 5-of-11 shooting) and two additional assists. So, he averaged more than 1.05 points per possession when he drove. That’s ridiculously efficient.

If you are wondering how this new offensive approach has played a part in his recent success, consider this:

Over his first 26 games this season, from Opening Night through Christmas Day, Barrett averaged 7.6 drives per game and 3.7 points per game off of those drives.

In the Knicks’ last eight games, Barrett is averaging 16.0 drives (!!) per game and
13.6 points (!!) per game off of those drives.

Remarkably, 84.8% of Barrett’s points during this eight-game stretch have come off drives.