TORONTO — Maybe one day, the Toronto Raptors will be able to answer the question the New York Knicks could no longer wait on: Can RJ Barrett’s game scale down?
When the Raptors and Knicks made their big trade about 49 weeks ago, the Raptors needed to chart a new path and the Knicks had a surplus of small guards, which would no longer be workable when it was time to pay Immanuel Quickley. Accordingly, the Knicks sent Quickley to Toronto, and the Knicks continued their on-the-move remodelling by getting O.G. Anunoby, a more versatile postseason piece than Quickley.
Barrett’s contract made the money work, not that there weren’t signs he could shine elsewhere, with the Raptors eager to find out if that could be Toronto, Barrett’s home.
He had moments with the Knicks, including in the playoffs at Madison Square Garden, that displayed how confident and talented he was. The Knicks appreciated him, but he was superfluous to their needs with Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle (now, Karl-Anthony Towns) dominating the ball. They needed a defensive ace who did not need the ball and could space the floor for their stars. Barrett wasn’t — isn’t — quite that.
Those questions the Knicks had still exist, and they might become relevant soon. When Scottie Barnes went down with a right ankle injury in the third quarter of the Knicks’ 113-108 win over the Raptors on Monday, ending his night and presumably keeping him out of the lineup for a little bit, it was just another frustrating setback in the desire to see how the core the trade created last winter looks.
The Raptors called the injury an ankle sprain, with coach Darko Rajaković saying X-rays were negative. He was limping in the locker room after the game, although he had no protective wrap, boot or cast.
“We played well together last year,” Barrett said of the trio of him, Quickley and Barnes. “Haven’t played together yet this year. Just based off last year, we played well. We believe in what we can do, what we’ve kind of seen (in) little segments that we can build upon that and build it to be something really good.”
Barrett cannot control the injuries. He can play only the role that is available. Barrett, Barnes and Quickley haven’t played in the same game since March 1, when Barnes broke a bone in his hand. Monday was the Raptors’ 47th consecutive game the Raptors have played without the trio intact, and there will be many more. Quickley is due for more tests on his injured elbow later this week.
That leaves Barrett as the clear go-to guy in a very cramped offence. He had 30 points, eight rebounds and four assists against his former team, and did his best to get the Raptors good looks in crunch time as the team was out of other self-creators.
He bullied through Miles McBride and hooked up Davion Mitchell over the top of the defence in another moment. The plays came against a set defence, albeit one without an ace rim-protector. There were some turnovers, sure, but he has kept them largely in check this year. On the biggest play of the game, Anunoby blocked Barrett’s attempted score-tying shot in the paint, with help from Towns. The key was predictably packed. It’s tempting to view the moment in a vacuum, and Anunoby was a great addition to the Knicks. The contexts, of course, are very different.
Barrett was best on the move against the Knicks, and that has frequently been the case this year. He tied the game as Mikal Bridges chased him from behind and he had to avoid Brunson, waiting to take a charge or delay the drive to get some additional help.
TALK THAT TALK RJ 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/7ZVTYJt1PR
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) December 10, 2024
Throughout the night, he was a monster on the run, especially as the Raptors dug out of a double-digit deficit in the second half. While Barnes has been the biggest factor in pushing the pace, Barrett is on board. He found a streaking Ochai Agbaji on one play (Agbaji is becoming elite at running on the wings), and he got his own bucket, plus an uncalled foul on Brunson, soon after. If Agbaji and Gradey Dick didn’t let him down on a few 3s, it would have been an even more productive run.
RJ BARRETT 🤯 pic.twitter.com/3zWzCHZT1r
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) December 10, 2024
His creation in the half court has notably improved, with the number of handoffs the Raptors use greatly benefitting Barrett, who is tough to control when he catches the ball on the move. The rim is always alluring, but he made the correct read early on against the Knicks, finding Mitchell open for 3.
In general, his play with Barnes back in the lineup had been promising, too. His assists number predictably fell from his festival of dimes early in the season as Barnes came back from a broken orbital bone. In the 11 games without Barnes, Barrett had a massive 30.2 assist percentage but a disappointing 51.7 true shooting percentage, which factors in the added importance of 3-pointers free-throw attempts.
In the nine games before Monday with Barnes back, Barrett’s assist percentage fell to 23.8, which would still be the highest of his career. Meanwhile, his true shooting percentage was back above 60, where it was in his revelatory half-season with the Raptors last year, a high-water mark for his career in scoring efficiency.
The big question still lingers, though. If the Raptors get a high lottery pick who ultimately commands a high percentage of the offence, Barrett’s role would probably shrink. Whereas Anunoby can go anywhere on the court defensively, Barrett can be a bit slow moving his hips, allowing quicker players to attack him. Rajaković was giving him some pointers after he lost Anunoby on an out-of-bounds play early in the second half. Barrett also doesn’t have the best off-ball defensive tendencies, although they have improved in Toronto.
There are some signs he can fit in, though. He came into the Knicks game shooting 37.4 percent on catch-and-shoot 3s, and that is trending up after a rough start from deep. He flashes the ability to cut and play off of Jakob Poeltl, and Rajaković’s offence will always include high-post passing.
FIND RJ FIND RJ FIND RJ pic.twitter.com/eleVVAwH6f
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) December 10, 2024
Barrett still needs to develop as a connecting passer — as in, a passer when he isn’t the primary option on a play — but without Quickley for all but 10 halves this year, it is hard to judge Barrett on that yet. The Raptors don’t have enough shooting without him.
All you can do is judge him within the Raptors’ reality. Even as his team runs up against its limitations, Barrett continues to break through his.
(Photo of RJ Barrett going to the basket against the Knicks: John E. Sokolowski / Imagn Images
