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Knicks' RJ Barrett: Top 10 Young Wing?

RJ Barrett is among the best young wings in the NBA. But where does the New York Knicks forward land in Bleacher Report's top 10?

Jeremy Brener

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RJ Barrett is entering his fifth season with the New York Knicks, and he's establishing himself as one of the best young wings in the game. 

Though it was a slight decline from the prior campaign, Barrett averaged 19.6 points and five rebounds per game last season for the Knicks, and he's about to enter the first year of his new four-year, $104 million contract. That's a lot of money for Barrett, but for one of the league's best young wings, the investment could be well worth it for New York.

Bleacher Report listed Barrett as the seventh-best wing under 25 in the NBA.

"The fact that he's found his way to 19.1 points on 42.7 percent shooting over the past three seasons anyway speaks to his ability as a determined, physical driver," Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley writes. "Add a few percentage points to his jumper and some extra foul shots, and you could be looking at a nightly 25-point scorer."

"The 23-year-old would rank higher on this list if it were easier buying into his becoming a long-distance threat, but forgettable connection rates from three (34.3 percent) and the foul line (70.9) don't exactly inspire a ton of confidence."

Those who ranked ahead of Barrett were Jaden McDaniels (Minnesota), Brandon Miller (Charlotte), Shaedon Sharpe (Portland), Franz Wagner (Orlando), Scottie Barnes (Toronto), and Paolo Banchero (Orlando).

Barrett is currently partaking in the FIBA Basketball World Cup, representing Canada in Group H pool play in Jakarta. Team Canada is off to a strong start after a blowout victory over France and return to action against Lebanon on Sunday morning (5:30 a.m. ET, ESPN+).

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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