New York Knicks Dealing With RJ Barrett's Post-Migraine Headaches

RJ Barrett was the New York Knicks' MVP in the early going but has had trouble rediscovering his spark since returning from a three-game migraine absence.

In recent weeks, RJ Barrett's issues have all been in his head.

The homegrown franchise face of the New York Knicks had a stellar start interrupted by migraines in the early parts of November. At the time of the ailments, Barrett was a guiding light through a meandering start, averaging 22.6 points (on over 48 percent shooting) and 3.1 assists over the team's first 10 games (two of which he missed due to prior knee soreness) while Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle rediscovered their games. Both would've been season-long career-highs before the migraines struck, keeping him out of three games on the Knicks' recent five-part road trip. 

“Having a week where you don’t play, it’s not ideal,” Barrett said to open this week, per Zach Braziller of the New York Post. “But at the end of the day, I’ve also had a (few) weeks where I’ve been playing. No excuses; I’m kind of getting back to it.”

RJ Barrett has struggled to regain his spark from the start of the season / USA TODAY SPORTS

For Barrett, the opening stretch made it appear as if he was finally turning the pages and writing new chapters of his rollercoaster NBA career, but he has regressed to the norm since he returned on Nov. 18. 

Granted, that norm isn't drastically poor. But Barrett's numbers continue to be hardly vindicative of his status as the third overall pick of the 2019 draft and signer of a four-year extension worth a maximum of $120 million. 

Over the past seven games, Barrett's spark has fizzled to the tune of 14.6 points on just over 34 percent from the field (including an ugly 8-of-32 from three-point range). He has yet to score 20 points in that span after reaching that plateau in five of his first seven appearances.

What's Barrett's consolation? He's seen worse.

“I remember there was a stretch last year when I was even worse,” Barrett said in Braziller's report. “Right now, I’m OK, and I’m going to trend upwards. I’m not really worried. This kind of happens to everybody. I’m coming into every game confident. Just got to play hard, and as long as the team is winning, that’s what matters.”

Even with the hefty investments into Barrett, it's hard to reach for any kind of panic button from a Knicks perspective: New York (12-7) has won seven of its past nine and secured a spot in the knockout round of the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament. In another positive development, Barrett is fulfilling his goal of cashing in at the free throw line. He's currently hitting over 83 percent of his tries from the charity stripe, over a dozen points above the success rate for his career. 

Head coach Tom Thibodeau believes that Barrett is capable of figuring out everything else.

"He’ll get there. We have a lot of confidence in him," Thibodeau said after Barrett shot 3-of-13 in a Nov. 28 win over Charlotte, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. "Usually, if you can get a few easy baskets you can get going again.”

That came less than a week after Barrett impressed Thibodeau with his defense in the final stages of another crucial victory, Nov. 24's 100-98 win over the Miami Heat. 

Barrett had a decent offensive night in a traditional sense (18 points on 7-of-14 from the field) but Thibodeau was particularly pleased with the Duke alum's defense on the final play of the affair, one that forced Heat star Jimmy Butler into an uncomfortable attempt at a game-winner as time expired. It was the coda of a second half that saw Miami shoot less than 37 percent, including a mere 3-of-21 in the final period. 

Barrett: This Knicks Playoff Defense is Different

"I thought his effort in the third and fourth quarter was very good, and I think that’s also what gets him going. So then, offensively, he found energy from that," Thibodeau said, per Steve Popper of Newsday. "So he got into the open floor some, attacked downhill, so it all worked together. But I think the thing I like about RJ is he’s got great size and he’s strong."

Barrett has a high-profile chance to get his groove back on Tuesday night when the Knicks face the Milwaukee Bucks in the In-Season Tournament's quarterfinal round (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG/TNT).