Hittin the Books: How the OG Anunoby acquisition affects Knicks future bets and their title chances Knicks center sounds pretty bummed after blockbuster trade: ‘Don’t really know how to feel’ Knicks guard already showing what’s possible in increased role after trade RJ has displayed great passing instincts in his young career, including in that Miami game.Little-used Knick making most of rare chance as he awaits likely trade fate 58, in just the 40th percentile at his position. Per Cleaning the Glass, Butler’s assist to usage ratio (which measures how often a player got an assist relative to his usage) is 1.23, in the 98th percentile of all wings and top 10 in the entire league. Digging a little deeper to account for Butler’s higher usage rate (27% to 23%, per NBA.com), the difference remains obvious. Looking at the raw numbers, Butler’s 7.5 assists per game far exceed RJ’s modest three. Again, the numbers confirm the perceived chasm between the two in the passing department. The other major separator between the two, as noted by RJ himself, is playmaking. But, with the 12% increase in that area from just last season to this one, continued improvement would come as no surprise. Of course, with an increase in free throw attempts, it will become all the more important for Barrett to increase his free throw percentage. RJ needs to understand that the end goal isn’t always to make the shot - rather, it’s to create the most efficient scoring opportunity. In other words, Barrett is working harder for his points, while Butler is working smarter. Such a reallocation would constitute a huge step in his quest for offensive efficiency. If RJ substituted some of his difficult attempts at the rim with drawn fouls, he would likely increase both his eFG% percentage by missing less at the rim, and his TS% by taking more free throws. Butler instead opts to jump directly into the backtracking Barrett, putting the pressure on the official to make the call. It is easy to envision Barrett in this precise scenario, though more likely on the left side, extending his arm and leaning away from the contact in an attempt to make the difficult layup. Furthermore, his 72% from the line ranks in just the 16th percentile for his position. In contrast, Barrett is solid - but not elite - at drawing fouls, ranking in the 80th percentile of wings in both shooting fouled percentage and floor fouled percentage. Plus, his free throw percentage is in the 75th percentile of all wings. Butler more than compensates for his relative inefficiency from the field by taking over eight free throws per game and shooting them at over an 85% clip - that is double Barrett’s attempts per game, at 12% higher a percentage.įor context, per Cleaning the Glass, Butler leads all wings in the league at both shooting fouled percentage (percentage of shot attempts fouled on) - he is fouled on a whopping 21% of his shot attempts - and floor fouled percentage (non-shooting fouls per team possession, which become particularly useful when his team is in the bonus). However, when accounting for free throw proficiency, as included in true shooting percentage, Butler jumps ahead of Barrett by six percentage points - 59% to 53%. While Butler is far more efficient than Barrett at the rim (71% to 58%, according to Cleaning the Glass), RJ catches up through his superior 3-point shooting (35% to 22%). For those less statistically inclined, eFG% accounts for the difference in value between 2- and 3-point shot attempts, but discounts free throws. Consider this: Butler and Barrett have identical effective field goal percentages this season at 49.2%. As it relates to scoring, the only reason Butler is superior to Barrett right now is due to his proficiency getting to - and scoring from - the free throw line. So how does RJ progress from promising youngster to that kind of player? RJ, self-aware as always, explained it himself postgame by citing two of Butler’s greatest attributes: foul-drawing and playmaking. Butler has neared maximization of that particular skillset, reaching perennial All-Star status and having led his team to the Finals just a year ago. Both are 6-foot-7, burly wings weighing between 215 and 230 pounds, possess elite strength but lack elite vertical athleticism, and are hindered by unreliable jumpers (though RJ’s recent progress in that department suggests he may surpass Butler as a shooter). The similarities between the two are too obvious to overlook, even if Butler is a decade Barrett’s senior, and they shoot the ball with different hands. The Athletic’s Mike Vorkunov recently asked Barrett about that brief encounter with Butler, and RJ confirmed that Butler had told him exactly that.
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