NEW YORK KNICKS VENTURED BACK INTO.

Well, there’s definitely room for improvement. Shooting guard RJ Barrett of the New York Knicks has ventured back into the familiar territory of inconsistent play.

Throughout his five NBA seasons, Barrett’s biggest weakness has been his shooting. Specifically, his ability to shoot three points has been a significant issue and is something the Knicks desperately need from him right now.

Earlier in the season, Barrett, a 34% career three-point shooter, seemed to have overcome his shooting difficulties. He had a great start to the 2023–24 season, making 43% of his three-point attempts in 4 games in October. Along the way, Barrett’s supporters experienced a great sense of validation.

Four games is a small sample size, to be sure. However, Barrett’s hot shooting streak carried over into November, as he made 40% of his three-pointers through nine games. For those of you keeping score at home, after 13 games, that is 41%. It involved more than just three-point shooting. Barrett’s mid-range game and free-throw shooting were both improving. However, December arrived.

To be fair, Barrett hasn’t stopped playing well in other domains. Barrett was averaging 18 points on 42.2% shooting as of the start of play on Saturday. This is a higher field goal percentage than he had shot in November. In addition, he is dishing out 2.7 assists per game, pulling down 4.6 rebounds, and making 89% of his free throws.

However, the former Duke Blue Devil’s problems shooting three points have returned with a vengeance recently. In December, Barrett is only making 21% of his three-point shots. And before making two of his five shots in a defeat to Milwaukee on Saturday, Barrett had made just three of his previous 19 attempts from beyond the arc.

Taking a step back, the majority of experts concur that, in terms of good versus poor three-point shooting, thirty-five percent is sort of a border. In any case, the Knicks are 7-2 when Barrett makes more than 35% of their three-pointers. Thus, the significance.

However, it is impossible to analyze Barrett’s three-point shooting in a vacuum. Barrett, who is only 23 years old, has a number of appealing qualities, one of which is his improvement with every league season. But the players surrounding you have a big influence on your three-point shooting. This would be a moot point if Barrett and the Knicks could find four other three-point shooters to start. But that isn’t true at all.

Jalen Brunson is an above-average shooter for the Knicks at point guard. Isaiah Hartenstein has only made three three-pointers this season, and Mitchell Robinson has avoided them like the plague, so there is sadly no real threat at the center position. Although Julius Randle is shooting 34.3% from three this season, his recent success actually corresponds with him taking fewer threes. Due in part to Quentin Grimes’ shooting struggles, Donte DiVincenzo joined the team just eight games ago as a starter. DiVincenzo has a good shooting stroke, making 44.8% of his three-point attempts in 2023–24.