RJ, meet MJ.
During the NBA’s coronavirus pandemic shutdown, Knicks rookie stud RJ Barrett has taken a crash course in Michael Jordan the past five weeks, watching each episode of “The Last Dance.’’
Barrett said he’s been “soaking it all in’’ and his mind may have changed regarding who is the G.O.A.T.
In a taped appearance on ESPN’s “SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt” on Monday night, Barrett admitted how much he savored watching Jordan’s career unfold. Barrett, who turns 20 on June 14, was born two years after Jordan’s sixth and last NBA title in 1998.
“I grew up after all this happened,’’ Barrett told Van Pelt. “It’s cool to be able to listen to Mike speak and hear how he thinks. ‘Cause to me, he was kind of this machine. So to see how he came into a franchise and completely changed the culture, or his leadership abilities, his work ethic — I’m soaking it all in.”
Like Jordan, Barrett was the third pick in the draft, a shooting guard out of the ACC. However, Barrett hails from Jordan’s top UNC rival, Duke.
“I guess I didn’t really understand Jordan as fully. I think I have a better picture now,’’ Barrett said. “Especially in that era — he had to go up against ‘The Bad Boys.’ They had ‘Jordan Rules.’ He had to go completely change his body. I’m not taking anything away from Kobe [Bryant] and LeBron [James], but he was kind of the first one to do it. He changed it to where a 2-guard is really a wing [and] what kind of helps you win championships. He changed the NBA in a way, too.”
The Toronto-area product better understands why his father, Rowan Barrett, who played at St. John’s and overseas, always wanted him to watch Jordan highlights.
“Jordan was always my dad’s favorite player,’’ Barrett said. “So my dad, growing up, every day he would be like, “RJ, watch Michael Jordan. Watch what he does.”
It has been a turbulent rookie season as Barrett went through a coaching and team president change with the Knicks. After some inefficient stretches, the 6-foot-7 swingman came on strong, showed glimpses of All-Star potential and was averaging 14.3 points and 5 rebounds when the season was suspended on March 11.
“Just the way he approached everything from Day 1 is like — he’s not losing,’’ Barrett said. “He would not accept losing. And that’s kind of how I’m like; I like to think like that — to just keep working on it and keep building to one day try to a get a championship and do all those great things.”
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Barrett, who is close to former Duke teammate Zion Williamson, said he has talked to his colleagues and they have been glued to the documentary series that ended Sunday.
“I’ve spoken to a couple people about it,’’ Barrett said. “It’s really just great to watch, especially for us. I know for basketball players and NBA players, Jordan’s the best player ever. So we’re all trying to get there, trying to surpass him. So just to see how he did it, try to implement some things that he did along with what we’re doing.”
Asked definitively if he would vote Jordan as the G.O.A.T., Barrett said, “I’ve always been a LeBron fan. LeBron’s always been my favorite player growing up. But just in terms of — I don’t really know the comparisons — but from what I’m seeing, it’s tough to say otherwise.”
Barrett has been locked down in Orlando amid the coronavirus pandemic and has been doing what he can to stay in shape and work on his game.
“I actually have some of my closest friends with me and we work out every day,” Barrett said. “Just trying to stay active … whether we have to hoop in the driveway, yeah, we gotta stay active.”