The New York Knicks suffered a tough 108-104 loss to the Boston Celtics to kick off the 2023-24 NBA regular season. The Knicks were sloppy in multiple areas, which resulted in a loss to a Celtics team that got the job done in crunch time, led by Jayson Tatum and Kristaps Porzingis.
Those two combined for 64 points, while the Knicks’ go-to duo of Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle shot a combined 11-of-43, scoring 29 points. That was a major difference in the game, along with the foul shooting.
New York was an abysmal 14-of-26 from the charity stripe while Boston connected on 22-of-26. Tatum and Porzinigs shot 14-of-16 there while Brunson and Randle were 1-of-6. Their lack of production, and some untimely whistles from the referees that went against the Knicks, resulted in a tough loss to start the season.
However, there were some positives to take away. Atop that list has to be the performance of RJ Barrett. While he didn’t have the most efficient game, shooting 8-of-20 from the field, he was 2-of-5 on 3-pointers. Most importantly, he made 6-of-7 free throws. If he can get that percentage closer to 80 percent, he will reach that 22 points per game plateau with ease.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: RJ Barrett, Quentin Grimes, New York Knicks Updates
He tied with Immanuel Quickley for a team-high 24 points, as they kept the Knicks in the game throughout. But, the most impressive performance for Barrett wasn’t on offense. That was on defense, where he showcased that he was turning a corner.
As mentioned earlier, Tatum torched the Knicks. He made it look easy on offense, knocking down jump shots and getting to the rim with ease. He shot 13-of-22 from the field on the night, dominating the matchup against Quentin Grimes.
Grimes was the main matchup for Tatum and he had no answers defensively. Tatum took full advantage of the size difference he possessed, shooting 5-for-5 and drawing one shooting foul, scoring 12 total points.
Grimes has become the Knicks’ No. 1 perimeter defender, playing the third most minutes in matchups against 2023 All-Stars last season. But, that scheme decision by Tom Thibodeau could change this season as Tatum found little success against Barrett.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: RJ Barrett, Quentin Grimes, New York Knicks Updates
They were matched up for 4:01 minutes and for 18.5 partial possessions, with Barrett making his life difficult all evening. Barrett held Tatum to 1-of-5 shooting while forcing two turnovers, as the size he possesses compared to Grimes looked to impact the Celtics star.
Whoever Barrett was matched up against struggled, as Derrick White, who went 2-for-2 against Barrett, was the only player who had multiple baskets against him. In total, Barrett held his opponents to 3-of-11 shooting, as he got the job done on defense.
Still only 23 years old, Barrett looks to be adding another facet to his game as he enters Year 5 in the NBA. If he can become a consistent two-way player, which he showed against the Celtics on Wednesday night, the Knicks are going to be even tougher to beat on a nightly basis. Barrett’s development is key to the team taking that next step without making a blockbuster trade to acquire an established star.
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