It’s the way his teammates talk. It’s the way they work. It’s the way they compete and practice.
RJ Barrett noticed it in how many players were working out at the MSG Training Center in August and early September, and the spirit at the start of training camp.
It’s part of why he made headlines on media day when he said the Knicks would “shock the world.”
“What I was trying to say is we all have something to prove. We all have a chip on our shoulder. We’re all working extremely hard every day to go out there to prove ourselves,” Barrett told The Post on Sunday after practice. “I always feel like I have something to prove. We feel like we have something to prove. I was saying if we can collectively come in every day the right way and play together — offensively, defensively, everything clicks — then we can do something special. I still feel that and still believe that.”
The fourth-year wing attributed that attitude to having a lot of players with extra motivation, partly due to the Knicks’ struggles in a 37-45 campaign a year ago. But it goes beyond that.
The roster isn’t made of many established veterans. Julius Randle is looking to recapture the form that made him an All-NBA second team selection two years ago. Jalen Brunson is getting the first opportunity of his career to run a team. Obi Toppin, Immanuel Quickley and Quentin Grimes are trying to establish themselves. Barrett is seeking his first All-Star appearance after landing a four-year, $107 million ($120 million with incentives) contract extension.
“Especially in this league, whoever comes out first more hungry, it doesn’t even become about X’s and O’s after that,” he said. “The more aggressive team, whoever wants it more, is going to win.”
Barrett, himself, has plenty to prove. He wants to become an All-Star and return to the playoffs. One particular area of focus for him from last season was improving on his layups and free-throw shooting. It bugged him all summer, how many points he left out there by shooting 71.4 percent from the line and not finishing nearly enough plays around the rim. It was his focus all offseason.
“It’s something that I really got to get down,” Barrett said. “Those are gimme points, not only for myself, but for the team. Let’s say you lose a game by one point, it’s like I missed three free throws. Those are things that haunt you when you look back.”
A lot of different things haunted the Knicks last year in falling short of the playoffs, issues they believe have been remedied with offseason additions and can lead to a bounce-back season. The early signs, in particular the work habits that coach Tom Thibodeau preaches, are promising. It is why Barrett believes they can be a surprise team this year and created headlines with his “shock the world” statement.
“You can tell,” Barrett said. “It’s about actions, how we’ve been going at each other at training camp and how everyone’s been competing to try to win at everything you can tell by that.”