RJ Barrett returned from a long injury-related layoff in late January, but the Raptors forward is just starting to get back to normal, writes Michael Grange of SportsNet. After scoring a season-high 31 points on 13-of-19 shooting in Sunday’s win over Dallas, Barrett said the lingering pain in his knee has calmed down and he’s beginning to get his conditioning back.
“That’s why a couple of weeks ago it didn’t look great,” he added. “Just got to continue to work through it.”
Barrett has been far more efficient over the last six games, averaging 21.7 points and six rebounds while connecting at 56.7% from the floor and 46.7% beyond the arc. Grange notes that he was attacking the basket repeatedly on Sunday, getting a dunk and a layup on off-ball cuts.
“I think we know what he’s capable of, we’ve seen it the last two-and-a-half years,” Scottie Barnes said. “He’s able to score the ball and help us out in that area and in different ways. Once he gets his stuff going, he’s pretty hard to guard, especially going downhill (to the rim), for himself and kicking the ball out.”
There’s more from Toronto:
- Markelle Fultz, who was recently claimed off waivers by Raptors 905, had four points and five assists in his first game with the G League club on Sunday. Sources tell Grange that Fultz was given the opportunity as an audition for Toronto’s open roster spot, which it will be looking to fill starting March 15. Grange states that nothing has been promised to Fultz, but the former No. 1 overall pick could turn out to be a good low-cost addition late in the season.
- Collin Murray-Boyles has been ruled out for the upcoming road trip to Houston and New Orleans due to an in injured left thumb, Grange adds. Trayce Jackson-Davis won’t play on Tuesday after dislocating his left middle finger while dunking in the lay-up line. “I hit my finger on the rim perfectly (to dislocate it),” he said. “And I looked down (at his suddenly crooked finger) and almost started laughing.”
- The Raptors’ poor record against the league’s best teams is a concern as they battle for playoff position, notes John Chidley-Hill of The Canadian Press. They’re just 1-12 at home this season when facing an opponent with a better record and have lost 14 of their last 15 games against top-10 teams. “We’ve got to figure out our fourth-quarter execution, exactly what we want to go to,” Brandon Ingram said. “I think every time we play a good team, they know exactly what they want to go to in the fourth quarter, and they do it over again and over again. The good thing is we’re in the games, but we’ve got to figure out how to finish the game.”
RJ’s the Raptors X factor, sad that the fans dont seem to recognize that though