RJ Barrett struggled to launch his career with New York and never sufficiently justified his status as No. 3 in the Draft in the eyes of the Knicks. As a result, they transferred him to the Raptors. The Canadian fullback therefore returns to his hometown, the knife between his teeth.
The local child therefore wears the jersey of his favorite franchise today, the one he went to see play when he was a kid, in the company of his father Rowan, GM of the Canadian national team, at the time or the Scotiabank Arena was still called the Air Canada Centre. RJ Barrett has been a die-hard Dinos fan since he was young, and now this jersey seems to give him a whole new strength that the Knicks jersey failed to give him.
Author of 18.1 points at 42.2% shooting including 34.2% from the Empire State Building, 5.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game in four and a half seasons in the Big Apple, he passed at 21.8 points at 55.3% (!) shooting including 39.2% from Niagara Falls, 6.1 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game in Toronto. So certainly, Rowan Alexander Barrett Jr., his full name, only played 32 games in his new team, but the visual impression left during this sample is striking, as is the effectiveness of the left-hander over this period.
RJ Barrett had given us the habit of an attacker who was too inconsistent, sometimes clumsy, but above all without any real significant strengths in attack. Since his return home, he seems to have improved in every way. So of course, the victories are not there, and he has become the second indisputable option among the Raptors behind the inevitable Scottie Barnes, which necessarily gives him more offensive responsibilities. But it is clear that RJ managed to seize it, wisely.
Also, number 9 has now been driven by a goal for several months. Indeed, RJ Barrett had the immense pain of learning of the death of his brother Nathan a few months ago. Aged 19, the little brother dreamed of following in the footsteps of the big one and joining the NBA with him. RJ must now live his dream for two, and there is no doubt that he must think a lot about Nathan when he puts on the Raptors jersey, of which his little brother was probably a fan too, and that he also tries to make him proud. through his performances. Feeling invested with a mission, RJ carries the family standard high, predestined to break into basketball.
With a father also in basketball (GM of Canada, remember), RJ didn’t really have the right to make mistakes. He was also very good this summer in Paris, taking over from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in attack while Jamal Murray checked if his contours were well cut. The left-hander played a big role in his team’s play and there is no doubt that his Olympic campaign made an impression in Toronto, where he now returns full of confidence for the coming season.
Confidence, the lefty really needed it. Sometimes heckled or even criticized in New York, he had great difficulty being consistent in attack and the very demanding public at Madison Square Garden held this against him on several occasions. This relationship ended a few months ago but the player has certainly grown from it. Today, he seems more liberated, plays fairer and simpler, and is more successful, no matter how far he decides to try his luck.
A lot of things are going better for RJ Barrett since his trade. From now on, all that is missing is the victories, which are not yet expected immediately but which will inevitably have to be achieved in the fairly near future during the reconstruction. In any case, RJ Barrett has what it takes in store to continue his progress and become the perfect relay for Scottie Barnes, to establish a formidable interior-exterior relationship. He has the potential to become an All-Star, and becoming one in his hometown would necessarily have a special flavor for RJ, who has not yet reached the goal, but who is in any case doing what is necessary to achieve his goals. We can only wish him to confirm over an entire season to finally take off his career and silence his detractors.
