The worst shooting night of RJ Barrett’s lone season at Duke brought an unexpected criticism that turned into lasting wisdom.
Barrett sensed he was going to get an earful from coach Mike Krzyzewski after making just 8 of 30 shots in an overtime loss to Syracuse on Jan. 14, 2019. And he was right. Sort of.
Barrett’s evolution into a big-time scorer for the Knicks runs parallel with his willingness to become a volume shooter. He can boost his numbers in a Saturday matinee against the Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden and then find a place to watch the retiring Krzyzewski in what could be the Hall of Fame coach’s last game in the Final Four later in the evening.
“The way I like to view it is he’s 21 years old, and there’s been a progression to this,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “When you look at players in this league, we all tend to measure someone where they are today: So-and-so is averaging 27 a game or 25 a game. You forget all those years there were 14, 17, 20, 21 and 23. I like where RJ is. I want him to continue to approach each day the way he has.
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