New York Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau began his pregame press conference for their March 14 away game against the Portland Trail Blazers with a message to RJ Barrett RJ Barrett and his family regarding the unexpected passing of his younger brother, Nathan.
“On behalf of our organization and our team, we’d like to express our sincere sympathies to the Barrett family for the loss of their son Nathan and RJ’s brother,” Thibodeau informed reporters. “So our thoughts and prayers are with the entire family.”
RJ Barrett was the Knicks’ third pick in 2019. After spending his initial four-and-a-half seasons with the Knicks, the Canadian wing returned home to play for the Toronto Raptors as part of the OG Anunoby trade.
According to MSG Network’s color commentator Mike Breen, Nathan passed away on Tuesday, March 12, but the news of his death was only reported on Thursday, March 14.
The Barrett family released a statement shortly after the news spread.
”With deep sadness and heavy hearts, we announce the loss of our cherished son and brother, Nathan Tyler Barrett, who passed away on Tuesday, March 12, surrounded by his family, church and friends. While our family is devastated by this great loss, we will continue to cherish the memories and time spent together,” the statement said.
“Nathan was a God-fearing young man of strong character. He was thoughtful, kind, loving, compassionate, creative, admirable and driven.
During this difficult time, our family would like to ask for privacy but greatly appreciates the outpouring of love, support and prayers that we have been receiving. Though his time with us was brief, he will live forever in our hearts.”
Nathan also attended Montverde Academy in Florida in high school like his older brother, RJ.
Knicks Continue Winning Ways with OG Anunoby
The Knicks improved to 14-2 with Anunoby after their 105-93 victory over the Trail Blazers on the road.
Anunoby finished with 12 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals but not without a re-injury scare in his surgically repaired right elbow in the second quarter.
The Knicks survived it as Anunoby returned to finish the game in the second half, playing 21 of his 36 minutes of court time.
Both Anunoby and Thibodeau dismissed the incident.
“It’s just sore,” Anunoby told reporters, per The Athletic’s Fred Katz. “Nothing really happened. Just went for a ball. And it hurt randomly, but it’s fine.”
“There’s gonna be some times where there’s gonna be soreness,” Thibodeau told reporters, per New York Basketball on X, formerly Twitter. “He played through it.
Knicks’ Defense Back on Top
The Knicks have held their last four opponents under 100 points with their defense. In that time, the Knicks are No. 1 in defensive rating (90.5) by a wide margin. The New Orleans Pelicans are a distant second with a 105.4 defensive rating.
Before they went out for this four-game road trip, the Knicks had held their last three opponents under 80 points.
They have never been that dominant defensively since 2000.
“The thing is, 20 years ago that really was the style of play,” Thibodeau informed the media following their 106-79 win against the Philadelphia 76ers on March 12. “So to accomplish this in today’s game, it’s a testament to the team and you need to be united and working together and relying on each other and I believe that’s how our team is playing.”
