Steve Nash didn’t get to watch his godson, RJ Barrett, play last night because of an injury, but he has faith that Barrett will develop into a franchise cornerstone for the Knicks, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News.
“(Barrett’s) shown very much of what I thought he’d show. He’s an incredibly talented, well-rounded basketball player. He does a bit of everything. I think he will evolve into a great playmaker because that’s a natural ability for him that he doesn’t necessarily get to shine in at this stage of his career and on this stage of this team,” Nash said. “That’s exciting for Knicks fans that he still produces, he’s versatile, he can score. He’s growing defensively. And for me, he’s a natural playmaker and that hasn’t been a part of his upside yet that’s highlighted. So for the franchise, that’s exciting.”
Barrett was a primary ballhandler in college, but the Knicks quickly gave up on their experiment of using him at point guard, Bondy notes. Still, his usage rate is high at 23.2% and he is often utilized as a secondary initiator of the offense.
There’s more Knicks news to pass along:
- The Sixers expressed interest in hiring New York assistant Royal Ivey after the end of last season, but the Knicks blocked the move because they thought Ivey might help attract Kevin Durant in free agency, Bondy adds in a separate story. Ivey is a close friend with Durant and was a former teammate in Oklahoma City. A source tells Bondy that the Knicks refused to allow the Sixers to interview Ivey, but did give him a pay raise.
- The Knicks never made it to Australia to see LaMelo Ball in person before he was shut down for the season with a foot injury, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. The front office was planning a trip this month, but Berman points out that it might not matter because president Steve Mills and general manager Scott Perry may not be with the team by draft time.
- The Knicks will be wasting an opportunity if they don’t trade Marcus Morris by the deadline, contends Tommy Beer of Forbes. Morris is enjoying his best statistical season, averaging 19.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.7 3-pointers per game, but may not be a long-term fit at age 30. Not only would the Knicks be better off with whatever assets they can obtain in return, Beer adds, trading Morris takes away any chance they will overpay to re-sign him this summer.
If Scott Perry gets fired it’ll be a blessing for him. When he gets fired from a job, his next job has always been better than the one he got let go from. This has been a playful source of astonishment among nba “insiders” for years.
Using top 10 picks on frank and Knox along with trading KP for picks that will be in the 20s I’m sure teams are lining up to hire him once he gets fired
Don’t forget the GREAT move 70*4 given to Hardaway
Knox wasnt a bad pick tbh. He had upside… if you don’t develop players then they become wasted picks. Frank was a reach, Knicks probably thought they were getting a longer more defensive Tony Parker and they actually just drafted TLC 20 slots higher.
Magic > Kings > Knicks. Not sure it can get much worse than that.
I think it’s funny how they try to talk up LeMelo Ball. Playing in a below average league jacking up 17 shots a game while shooting 37% and 25% from 3. Honestly do u really need to watch him play in person.
The hype train has already left the station, now is the time to do DD and find in person reasons NOT to take him.
I guess to find out why talk him up also! It’s hard to predict NBA 3pt shooting %. That was a criticism of Doncic in Europe.
Fultz shot 40% from 3 in college lol.
Ball ain’t ready. Plays no D and not athletic enough. He’s overrated. I take his brother though. Knicks are own worst enemy. Instead of playing their picks. In G-league or here. They kill their confidence by mismanagement. In the process hurt their trade value. Only way a rebuild works. Is if you see it thru. There are no short cuts. Dolan has never allowed this. So it’s always the quick fix. Trade for name or sign a name. Rebuild doesn’t work that way. They missed on Russell (23 yrs old). I like Morris but at 30. It’s best to get younger with picks. FA class doesn’t look great for us. In near future. So on the cheap. I would take a long look at Drummond. Payton is a great backup PG. We need a playmaker to initiate the O. Halliburton in draft is way to go. There are some solid young PF s in draft. Halliburton n Drummond give this team a direction. Portis, Randle, RJ, Payton, Knox, Braz, are all under 25. Move the rest plus the picks we have. There is plenty of value there. To get good established young talent. I like Halliburton a lot for this team. He is the missing piece here. A pass first 6’ 5” playmaker PG.