Young New York Knicks RJ Barrett and Kevin Knox admitted that they aren’t too concerned with what the Brooklyn Nets are doing right now.

At a Puma event debuting Walt “Clyde” Frazier‘s new Puma Clyde Hardwood sneaker line, Kevin Knox and RJ Barrett were on hand to sit on a panel with Clyde. The young New York Knicks were asked about the Brooklyn Nets, but they don’t seem too focused on the crosstown rival.

“I don’t care,” Barrett quickly responded before turning the question over to his teammate. “Do you care?”

“Not really,” Knox said. “You’ve got people always saying ‘the Knicks’ and ‘the Nets’ and of course the Nets got two big superstars this summer. But it’s just fuel to the fire for us. Like [head coach David Fizdale] told us all in a group message, ‘Just put your head down and go out and play hard and play for one another.’ That’s kind of been our motto all summer.

“Go at each other in practice and when you get against somebody else, go at them no matter who is in front of you. That’s kind of just been our mindset this whole summer. Fiz is kind of just feeding us all motivational stuff.”

Although there is some juice to the rivalry now that Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving spurned the Knicks for the Nets, Barrett and Knox have the right mindset.

The goal is to build a team that can compete for championships. It looks like the Nets have reached that point, but that only came after years of development and rebuilding.

Staying focused on what they can control will be key for Barrett, Knox, and the Knicks next season.

 
NY/NJ hoops reporter (NBA/NCAA) & sports betting writer for XL Media. Never had the makings of a varsity athlete.