Player Preview: RJ Barrett’s ‘prove it’ season

After being traded to Toronto last season, RJ Barrett quickly proved he was not a “toxic” contract. Can he continue building on the momentum of a solid second half and excellent showing at the Summer Olympics?

When the Toronto Raptors traded for Kawhi Leonard over five years ago, the addition of Danny Green was first seen as a ‘throw-in’ to the deal. Green was the salary filler that made the math work and rotation piece that evened out the talent and balanced San Antonio’s package of DeMar DeRozan and Jakob Poeltl (and eventually Keldon Johnson). Kawhi was the main entree while Danny was the fortune cookie at the end.

We all know how that turned out. Yes, Kawhi was still everything promised and more, but a championship would have been much harder to achieve without Danny’s contributions — namely his 6 three-pointers in Game 3 of the Finals to help Toronto regain home-court advantage.

RJ Barrett is not the two-way player that Green was, and Immanuel Quickley is certainly not the superstar that Leonard was. However, there are similarities between the infamous 2019 trade and the one that sent OG Anunoby to the New York Knicks in February.

IQ was the prize — the point guard of Toronto’s present and future — while Barrett was the toxic salary ballast that helped the numbers and talent needs work. As it turns out, Masai Ujiri has a way of striking gold with the “throw-ins”.

Whether it was playing for his childhood team or not playing under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden, Barrett was rejuvenated once he joined the team. In his 32 games after the trade, RJ averaged 21.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 4.1 assists on 61.5% true shooting percentage — all career-highs if extrapolated across a full season.

No team in NBA history has ever had 3 players average 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists in the same season. With Scottie Barnes (19.9/8.2/6.1 last season) and Quickley (18.6/4.8/6.8 last season), the Raptors have a formidable trio that can surprise a lot of teams. But that all starts with Barrett. Can he continue the solid play that carried into the Olympics?

At the Paris Games, Barrett blew past a hobbled Jamal Murray and inconsistent Dillon Brooks as Canada’s second-best player. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the star but Barrett was instrumental in Canada winning all its games in the ‘Group of Death’ before falling to the eventual Silver Medalists from France.

“I think just playing in the summer helps coming into the beginning of the year because I’m just, I’m constantly in rhythm. I’m always in rhythm.”

There’s no rest for the weary. Barrett did not hesitate to keep his rhythm and ride the momentum of the Olympics experience,

For Barrett, he knows that his growth on the offensive is only half of the battle. Improvements on the other side of the ball will go a long way in speeding up Toronto’s rebuild and further entrenching Barrett in the Raptors’ core.

“Defense is a big, big part of it for me. Just a new defensive system, learning and applying it and being more of a two-way player.”

There’s been no shortage of support since Barrett’s arrival. “When I came here, Scottie was huge, helping getting me adjusted, because he’s so vocal….he cares about winning. And then being able to come here with Quick(ley) too, (we) were able to figure things out together, (through) a lot of conversation with Darko (plus) a lot of film.”

The opportunity for Barrett to thrive is clear as day. When Barnes bullies a smaller defender and commands a double-team, a slashing Barrett will cash in with a driving layup. When Quickley and Jakob Poeltl work their new-found pick-and-roll chemistry, a wide open Barrett will have a good look at a three-pointer as his defender collapses into the paint. When Gradey Dick is running endlessly around screens, a sneaky Barrett will backdoor his way to an easy deuce.

You’ll notice that none of those scenarios involves Barrett initiating the offense. When called upon, however, RJ will surely oblige. Last season with New York, Barrett’s shot chart was spread fairly evenly between rim (37%), mid-range (33%), and three-pointers (30%), which led to an abysmal 47.8% eFG, which ranked in the 15th percentile among forwards. With Toronto, however, Darko’s offensive system has shifted RJ’s shot selection closer to the rim (52%), resulting in a career-best eFG of 60.2%, or the 88th percentile! Barrett has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of Darko’s offensive approach of sharing the ball, constant movement, and timely cuts.

On the defensive end, Barrett will benefit from a healthy Poeltl (only 15 games played together) to man the paint. Jakob was 2nd in rim contests per 75 possessions last season, his 4th season in the last five where he’s placed in the top two. Barnes will toggle between guarding the opposition’s offensive star and providing elite help defense. Davion Mitchell will also be tasked with giving his defensive assignment an “off-night.” Before last season, Bruce Brown was typically in the 90th percentile in block percentage and 80th percentile in steal percentage among all wings. He admitted during the summer that he was battling knee pain, which he further addressed two weeks ago by undergoing knee surgery.

By surrounding him with better defenders, Barrett’s pressure to be a great defender is not very high. Being an average-to-good defender may be all this team needs. RJ’s foul percentage with the Raptors ranked in the 50th percentile forwards, a steep drop from the 82nd percentile he ranked in the first half of the season with New York. That number should improve with more familiarity with Darko’s system and a healthy group of starters.

At Media Day, RJ Barrett spoke highly about Vince Carter’s impact on the Raptors and Canadian basketball, saying VC was a “legend for what he’s done for the game….for multiple generations. Everybody that really plays basketball in this country knows who Vince Carter is, so what he’s done for the game is huge.” While Barrett may not reach the heights that Carter reached with Canadian basketball fans, he has a golden opportunity to be as impactful as Danny Green — the lightly regarded addition to a trade who exceeded expectations and lifted the Raptors to greater heights!