Struggling RJ Barrett still shaking off effects of migraines after return

The timing stunk.

A few weeks later, RJ Barrett’s bout with migraine headaches is still being felt.

He had started the season extremely well before he was forced out of the lineup for three games due to the issue. He hasn’t been quite the same player since returning, even if he is past those painful headaches.

“Having a week where you don’t play, it’s not ideal,” Barrett said on Sunday. “But at the end of the day, I’ve also had a [few] weeks where I’ve been playing. No excuses; I’m kind of getting back to it.”

Barrett didn’t want to go into much detail on the migraines, other than to say it was the first time he dealt with them. He played through a headache in a home win over the Hornets on Nov. 12, and it worsened from there. Barrett missed three games due to the headaches and dealt with nausea.

“Have you had one? Whew, it’s not fun. Not fun at all,” he said. “It was tough. I was just kind of sitting there, had to have everything dark. It was tough. But that happened a little bit ago.”

Barrett is still looking to regain his form. In seven games since being back, Barrett is shooting 34.4 percent from the field, 25 percent from 3-point range and averaging only 14.6 points and 2.3 assists. Before the migraines, he was shooting 48.7 percent, 50 percent from deep and averaging 22.6 points and 3.1 assists in seven games. Obviously, both were small sample sizes. But the 23-year-old wing isn’t happy with his play of late.

Barrett pointed to two particular areas of improvement: 3-point shooting and rebounding. Overall this season, his rebounding is down, from 5 per game last year to 3.6 this year.

“I got to be able to figure it out. To be better for this team,” he said. “Another big part of our success has to do with me playing well. So I’ve got to be able to figure it out.”

Tom Thibodeau sees a player who lost his rhythm and is trying to get it back. Barrett just hasn’t performed consistently of late.

In time, the Knicks’ coach believes it will come. Thibodeau would like to see Barrett get some easy baskets in transition, which could lead to a breakthrough.

Of course, Barrett has always been known for his peaks and valleys, as a player who would go from red-hot to ice-cold in a hurry.

One positive he’s taken from this slump is it hasn’t negatively impacted the team, which has won nine of its last 11 games.

He also hasn’t reached the depths of around this time last season, when he was in a deep shooting funk.

“I remember there was a stretch last year when I was even worse,” he said. “Right now, I’m OK, and I’m going to trend upwards. I’m not really worried. This kind of happens to everybody.

“I’m coming into every game confident. Just got to play hard, and as long as the team is winning, that’s what matters.”