RJ Scores Career-High 46 In Defeat

It's almost unfathomable that Deuce McBride logged a total of two minutes Friday (due partly to IQ picking up three quick fouls in the second quarter) and didn't set foot on the floor in the 2nd half.

Game Recap: Heat Beat the Knicks, 115-100

Before we dive into the ugliness of another Knicks defeat, let's spend some time acknowledging the phenomenal effort from RJ Barrett in Friday's loss to Miami. 

Making his return to action after missing the Knicks' final four games before the All-Star break, Barrett netted a career-high 46 points to go with nine rebounds, six triples, two assists, and three turnovers. He shot 13-of-22 from the floor, including 6-of-11 from downtown. He got to the charity stripe a whopping 22 times but left some easy points on the table, as he converted just 14 of his 22 free-throw attempts.

Barrett's numbers are even more impressive when you remember the young man is just 21 years of age. Consider this: RJ became just the sixth player in NBA history to tally more than 45 points, more than five rebounds and more than five made three-pointers in a single game before turning 22. The other five players in this club are LeBron James, Trae Young, Charlie Villanueva, Jamal Murray and Anthony Edwards.

Barrett joined Carl Braun as the only Knicks ever to score 45+ points before celebrating his 22nd birthday. 

Speaking with reporters after the game, RJ was asked about posting his career-high in a loss. "It's bittersweet," Barrett replied. "You know when you have a night like that; you want to get the win which is the most important thing."

Barrett has shown great maturity since the day he was drafted, so it wasn't surprising to hear him acknowledge that he made a few costly errors and chastised himself for "terrible turnovers" late in the game. "I don't know what I was doing. But you know I'm going to watch the film and just figure out in those spots and where to be effective. And I had some silly mistakes I wish I could take back and some free throws that I wish I can take back."

He is shooting 69% from the stripe this season, which is something that he can, and should, improve upon. Nonetheless, it's incredibly encouraging to see him play downhill and attack the tin consistently. On Friday, Barrett became just the youngest player in NBA history to attempt more than 20 free throws in a game in which he scored 45+ points and knocked down 5+ treys. In fact, prior to Friday, no player under the age of 24 had notched those numbers (LeBron and Kevin Durant had held the record previously).

And Friday's performance wasn't shocking considering how well Barrett was playing before the ankle injury. Over his last five games, he is now averaging more than 29 points and three made treys per contest. He is just the third Knick over the previous 15 years (joining Julius Randle and Carmelo Anthony) to score 145+ points and knock down 15+ three-pointers over a five-game span.

Keep in mind, RJ did all this while playing without a point guard on his team (more on that in a second) and being guarded by Jimmy Butler, one of the NBA's premier defenders, for much of the evening. 

After the game, Butler had some laudatory comments when asked about Barrett's performance. "He was attacking every chance he got in transition. Getting to the cup, getting to the free-throw line, making the three-ball," Butler said. "He had a hell of a game, all-around game at that, but we all know he's capable of that. I don't think anybody is surprised or should be surprised. He's definitely going to be playing in this league for a long time and he's going to be the face of the Knicks."

Since the calendar flipped to 2022, Barrett has appeared in 20 games and is averaging 23.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.6 made three-pointers (while shooting 40.8% from downtown). That's sustained success and efficient offense over a solid stretch of an NBA season. The only players to match or exceed those per-game averages over these two months are Luka Doncic, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and LeBron James. Of these five, Barrett is the only one shooting above 35% from deep. 

Now, let's switch gears and talk a bit about the Knicks' putrid point guard play, which once again came back to bite them. New York dished out a total of 19 assists in Friday's loss to Miami while committing 18 turnovers. Needless to say, that's not an ideal assist-to-turnover ratio. 

Dating back to mid-January, the Knicks are just 3-14, which is the worst record in the Eastern Conference. During this stretch, they have a 1.56 assist-to-turnover ratio, which ranks 29th in the league. The only team with a worse AST/TO rate is the Houston Rockets, owners of the worst record in the West.