RJ Barrett is making it really easy to like him

Photo by Sean Berry/NBAE via Getty Images R.J. Barrett cradles a basketball like it’s his own child.RJ Barrett has been described as a consolation prize, but the 19-year-old swingman is quickly hardwiring himself into the hearts of Knicks fans and providing hope that the team might have selected someone who could be part of a successful core for the long haul.

When even Patrick Ewing’s presence on the dais didn’t help the Knicks win the Zion Williamson lottery, there was at first a pervasive sense of dismay in New York. That foreboding feeling of despair continued as free agency came closer and it became clear those dreams of snatching a couple of superstars were not actually going to come…