NEW YORK _ Physically, RJ Barrett is ready. That was the biggest takeaway from his encouraging and steady preseason.
He handled over 37 minutes per game with ease, which is no small feat considering New York's last three lottery rookies _ Kristaps Porzingis, Frank Ntilikina and Kevin Knox _ were physically overwhelmed and picking up small injuries in their first Octobers.
Barrett, 19, not only survived the contact, he often initiated it and scored by bullying his way to the paint.
"I feel like the Knicks drafted me because they knew what I could do," the third overall pick said. "That's my game. I could do that at any level. I'm going to continue to do that."
Barrett won't be a star until he develops at least an average NBA 3-pointer. But it's already clear that owns a good feel for the game and can get to the hoop because of his strength, even if he often isn't quick enough to dribble around the defender. Instead, Barrett goes through.
"I said it, man, he doesn't look like a rookie," coach David Fizdale said. "He's a tough kid. He really knows how to play and he's fearless."
Barrett led the Knicks' summer league team in minutes. He led the preseason in minutes while averaging 15.8 points, 3.3 assists and 6.8 rebounds on 46% shooting. Availability is the first part of success in the NBA. Contrast that to Zion Williamson, who will miss the start of the regular season with "knee soreness" and already is being handled with kid gloves.
"Man, he's 19. I never got tired when I was 19," Fizdale said of Barrett's heavy playing load. "I got him down to 35 today, so he's hard to take off the floor, I'm noticing. He does so much stuff to help you win."
