Bernard King is among the greatest to ever don a New York Knicks jersey. Who better to offer advice to Knicks rookie RJ Barrett?
The New York Knicks are expecting a lot out of RJ Barrett. After taking the Duke product third in the draft, he’s coming to New York with high expectations.
Bernard King knows a thing or two about reaching the ultimate goal in a Knicks uniform. The legendary Knick offered advice to the rookie after practice on Thursday.
“It’s obvious to me he wants to be an outstanding player. Anytime you have an opportunity to talk to someone who has had tremendous success in basketball or in life, you try glean some thoughts from them. I shared with him the key is hard work,” said King, via Ian Begley of SNY. “…. He’s obviously a tremendous talent. He’s going to have a great career. He’ll continue to grow as any young player would.”
The Knicks—and more specifically head coach David Fizdale—have made it a point to bring back Knicks alumni to spend time around the team. Last year, King spent time around the team and offered similar mentorship to Kevin Knox. Fizdale also brought Rasheed Wallace back to provide some guidance for Mitchell Robinson.
More importantly, the Knicks brought in a slew of veterans in free agency this summer. The aim was to inject more competition into the team. Guys will be competing for playing time and the hope is that the new mindset will translate to more wins.
Barrett is one of the most important players on the Knicks right now, but he’ll have to work hard to earn his keep.
