Now that RJ Barrett is back home in Toronto, he wants to inspire young Canadians who dream of someday playing in the NBA. In an interview with Marc J. Spears of Andscape, Barrett talked about the unique position that last month’s trade put him in as one of the most prominent players on the nation’s only NBA team.
“I am trying to let kids know that you can make it being from Canada and the area I’m from,” Barrett said. “Like the guys before me, watching Tristan (Thompson), Cory (Joseph), … (Andrew Wiggins), you can make it to the NBA. For me to make it to the NBA and come back home to play is special for me. I hope that all the kids see that … I want to show everyone how happy I am to be here and to help us win. That’s the main goal.”
Barrett admitted “there’s still a lot of learning going” on as he adjusts to his new team. He was caught off guard by the December 30 deal that sent him north of the border and he’s trying to adapt quickly to help the Raptors stay in the play-in race. He also said he’s proud of his time in New York and what he was able to accomplish with the Knicks.
“I helped build something in New York,” Barrett said. “When I came there we weren’t good. I left it a lot better than when it started. Definitely bittersweet, but I’m happy for those guys over there. They are happy about the trade they made and I wish nothing but the best for them. I grew up as a player and a person over there in New York. Those 4½ years, I will never forget.”
There’s more on the Raptors:
- Dennis Schröder talked to Mark Medina of Sportskeeda about a variety of topics, including how the team has changed since the trade and the thrill of bringing a World Cup gold medal to Germany. Schröder also said he doesn’t mind being moved to a reserve role after starting for most of the season. “Either way, I still play 30 minutes (per game) like I did here (with the Lakers),” he said. “Wherever I can help just to impact the game and impact winning, I’ll do it. I think defensively, I’ll bring the energy. Offensively, I’ll be aggressive. I thought I could’ve been a little bit more aggressive (Tuesday against the Lakers). But at the end of the day, you watch film and have a breakfast meeting to get better. Then you move on.”
- Eric Koreen of The Athletic looks at how the Raptors have evolved since the trade, noting that the roster changes have helped turn them into a higher-scoring team that’s much more fun to watch.
- In tonight’s pregame session with reporters, coach Darko Rajakovic stood by his criticism of the officials following Tuesday’s loss, tweets Michael Grange of Sportsnet. Rajakovic also repeated his praise of Scottie Barnes, saying he shares traits with Hall of Famers that he’s coached in the past.
RJ ——- Raptors stats
32.2 mins, 21.4 pts, 7.2 reb, 3.4 ast
FG% .585, FT% .77, 3PT % .50
23 yrs old ……. still getting better. And playing home will only help. Why posters want to bash a 23 yr old is beyond my comprehension. Said this in the draft. I still believe today. RJ has potential to be a great 2way player.
rct ????
link to google.com
RJ has been knocking down his open 3’s and getting to his spots with the left hand layups pretty consistently since he’s come to TO. He also has been carelessly turning the ball over often and has been meh on defence. Good little player, nice little scorer. Doubt he ends up as good as you think.
He’s improved and he’s not being held back at all… Definitely allstar caliber now. Those who lack happiness in their lives will find a reason to hate on dude. It’s how they were raised.
A lot of people cried when we fell to third and picked RJ obviously JA and Zion are dynamic players but I’d say the Knicks got the better value if you take into account all the off the court issues those other 2 have caused…he’s a great player a 20 point a game guy pretty consistently but he didn’t mesh with Brunson and Randle well and he wasn’t going to flourish under Tibs….he is in a much better place and I think he will flourish…just hopefully not against the Knicks
Exactly. RJ is a good dude who doesn’t have baggage or negative publicity. He doesn’t impregnate IG models or thots, didn’t record himself with weapons and doesn’t have to be told to stay in basketball shape. He just plays ball and wants to get better. Barrett drops 20+ vs any team, the knicks can get it too old boy.
Can you imagine the New York media with Ja or Zion there with the same issues they have had? Bloodbath.
Shai beat ya to it bud