Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau is not one to shy away from tough talk when it’s needed, and he has a suggestion for guard/forward RJ Barrett to correct his shooting struggles — and that would be to start getting up more shots.
Barrett has shot just 22 percent on 3-pointers over the past 13 games, as Marc Berman of the New York Post relayed, and the Knicks (11-12) have lost three straight.
“I have a lot of confidence in [Barrett] being able to work his way out of it,” Thibodeau said. “When you throw in he’s been sick, and to me you get rhythm when you work.
“Last year, he got going when he started coming in every night to shoot. So there’s no notion that you [work] sometimes, you got to do it all the time.
“So get back in the gym, get back to grooving your shot. Shoot a lot of 3s and you’ll start making more.”
There’s a long way to go, but if the playoffs started today, the Knicks would be on the outside looking in. That would be a big disappointment after last season’s inspirational postseason return.
The current issues go a lot deeper than Barrett’s shooting woes, but let’s face it … it certainly hasn’t helped matters.
Barrett, 21, is averaging a career-low 14.0 points on a career-low 40 percent shooting. His 30 percent on threes is also the worst of his three-year career.
New York begins a three-game road jaunt Tuesday at San Antonio. You can check out more Knicks notes on Hoops Wire right here.
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