As if the New York Knicks’ season couldn’t get any weirder, rookie R.J. Barrett revealed on Wednesday morning that he is actually right-handed despite shooting with his left hand.
Barrett mentioned to reporters, according to Laura Albanese of Newsday, that he has been told he has a better shooting form as a righty but personally feels more comfortable shooting left-handed. Barrett doesn’t believe it to be true so he continues to shoot with his left hand.
The third overall pick shot left-handed at Duke during his lone season in college and has continued to do so with the Knicks. He has often struggled to shoot from distance this season, converting on 39.1% from the field and 31.1% from 3-point range.
Just got a clarification: Barrett has been TOLD he has better shooting form as a righty. He doesn’t necessarily believe that to be the case. https://t.co/Fb5dgw8v8D
— Laura Albanese (@AlbaneseLaura) February 26, 2020
Barrett later added that he does everything with his right hand but shooting.
This has been found to be the case with several players, including LeBron James. The four-time NBA MVP is actually left-handed but developed as a right-handed shooter growing up.
In any case, Barrett appears set on continuing on as a lefty but after his revelation on Wednesday, he can likely expect to be asked constantly about it until his shooting numbers improve.
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