Although considered one of the most talented players in his draft class, New York Knicks’ guard RJ Barrett isn’t among the favorites to win the NBA Rookie of the Year award. But that won’t stop him from trying.
In a recent chat with New York Daily News, Barret discussed the fact that his peers didn’t show a lot of confidence in him in a recent NBA’s rookie survey about the ROY award winner. The 19-year-old Canadian ended up tied for the third position in the pool, receiving just five percent of the votes.
“When it’s all said and done and you see the actual results, nobody is going to remember the survey,” – said Barrett about the survey.
The doubters will probably end up fueling Barrett’s determination even more as he added that winning the award is “definitely important” for him.
“(Rookie of the Year) is definitely important. It’s something I’ve been thinking about since I was a kid,” – he explained. “So I thought the only way to do that is to work hard.”
RJ Barrett is facing tough competition for the NBA Rookie of the Year award, namely from his former Duke teammate and New Orleans Pelicans’ forward Zion Williamson. The overwhelming opinion around the league is that Williamson will have a central role in Pelicans’ game this upcoming season, which should boost his chances of winning the award. Another strong candidate is Memphis Grizzlies Ja Morant.
