Knicks' Tom Thibodeau Calls Questioning RJ Barrett's Defensive Workload 'Comical'

New York Knicks star RJ Barrett appears to have taken on a heavier workload defensively this season, but head coach Tom Thibodeau doesn't see it that way.

"No. That's comical," Thibodeau told reporters Friday when asked if Barrett was taking on a bigger defensive workload this year to make up for a lack of defense brought on by the duo of Jalen Brunson and Evan Fournier.

Barrett has had to cover a number of perimeter scorers, mainly the opposing team's top perimeter threat, early on this season because he's a far better defender than Brunson and Fournier.

The 22-year-old ranked fifth in the NBA in distance covered on defense entering Friday's game against the Milwaukee Bucks, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. However, this is nothing new for him.

Barrett led the Knicks in distance traveled in each of his first three seasons with the franchise, which selected him third overall in the 2019 NBA draft out of Duke.

It's been just four games, but it appears Barrett's focus on defense has led to an impact in his scoring efficiency. He's averaging 17.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists while shooting 37.0 percent from the floor and 14.3 percent from deep.

During the 2021-22 campaign, Barrett averaged a career-high 20.0 points, in addition to 5.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 70 games while shooting 40.8 percent from the floor and 34.2 percent from beyond the arc.

For what it's worth, Barrett shot at least 40 percent from the floor in each of his first three seasons.

The Ontario native told reporters (h/t Bondy) that he doesn't believe the amount of ground he has had to cover defensively has led to his scoring issues.

"I don’t know. I feel like I was guarding people last year, ended up doing pretty well," Barrett said. "I definitely could be playing better offensively, and I feel my rhythm coming back after not playing for a while."

Quentin Grimes could take some of the defensive workload off Barrett in the future, though it's unclear when he will return from his foot injury.

The Knicks enter Friday's game with a 3-1 record. If they don't get some help defensively, they'll likely be a step behind the East's top-tier teams.