thelesterlee
RJ Barrett is the most important player on the New York Knicks. When he’s playing aggressively and hitting open 3’s, the Knicks are going to win that basketball game. But when Barrett is afraid to attack the basket and settles for awkward perimeter shots, the Knicks will not be winning that game.
For anyone who has been confused why Barrett has been so up and down in the first quarter of this season, here’s the first answer.
RJ Barrett said he had been dealing with the stomach bug for a couple of weeks, which could explain recent performance. Said it started to get really bad (I’ll spare you all the details) after the ATL game Nov. 27. Got really sick during the BKN game, then missed the next one.
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) December 8, 2021
My man has had a stummy ache for like, 3 weeks and he’s still out there playing NBA-level ball. When I have any aches or any sort anywhere on my body, you can go ahead and forget about heading to Deadseriousness.com because there will be zero (0) new articles until I am fully healthy.
There are also reports that the NBA’s change from Spalding balls to Wilson has negatively affected some players’ jumpers.
On the Crossover Podcast (starts at 43:30 mark), Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix noted that Barrett is “one of those guys that right now is having a little bit of trouble adjusting to the new ball.”
“There’s a lot of those guys out there that are having some issues with the grip on that new basketball. What I was told by one coach was that because the ball hits the rim differently and bounces differently, guys are adding a little bit more arc to their shots. They’re literally changing their shots because of the composition of the basketball and that’s been screwing around with some guys.”
Barrett has been throwing up and struggling to re-teach himself how to shoot with these new balls. But that all ended on Tuesday night as the Knicks went down to San Antonio and whomped the Spurs 121-109.
Here’s how Barrett performed in the W:
- 39 minutes
- 32 points
- 11-for-20 shooting
- 7-for-8 from 3
- 5 rebounds
- 2 steals
RJ Barrett was feeling it in the first half 🔥
19 PTS and 4 triples as the @nyknicks lead on NBA League Pass: https://t.co/V0kkYEEIkG pic.twitter.com/PNMKdamwEY
— NBA (@NBA) December 8, 2021
His stomach has calmed. He’s figured out the level of arc required for the new Wilson balls.
Knicks in 4.
