RJ Barrett has been a steady force for the Toronto Raptors through this challenging season.
Since coming back home to Canada, Barrett has been playing the best basketball of his young career.
In 43 games, the 24-year-old is averaging 21.9 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.6 assists on 47.7 percent from the field and 35.8 percent from three-point range. Notably, shooting 43.5 percent from distance in his last 10 games.
All in all, the former Duke Blue Devil’s NBA career has been up and down. But, since playing for the Raptors, he seems to have found the confidence as a second or third scoring option.
On Friday, Barrett put up an impressive 29-point performance against the Miami Heat on 11-for-17 shooting. Which also saw him eclipsing 7,000 career points, making him one of seven Canadians to reach that mark, via Josh Lewenberg of TSN:
Canadians with 7,000+ career points:
Steve Nash (17,387)
Andrew Wiggins (13,895)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (10,530)
Jamal Murray (9,230)
Rick Fox (8,966)
Kelly Olynyk (7,926)
RJ Barrett (7,011)— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) February 22, 2025
Unfortunately, Barrett’s performance came in an overtime loss against Miami. But, he would score 13 of the Raptors’ final 16 points in the extra period.
Proving that he is a building block for Toronto moving forward as they navigate through this rebuild. It is great to have someone pick up the slack when Immanuel Quickley or Scottie Barnes are having off nights.
With the team being on the outside looking in, wins are not a metric worth looking at currently. This is the time to evaluate talent and see who fits where, especially with Brandon Ingram in the fold.
Regardless, Barrett’s accomplishment should be acknowledged and it is a testament to his play since being traded last season. Hopefully, he is able to continue stacking those points in a Raptors jersey for years to come.
RJ Barrett talks about the importance of winning
While winning may not be on the front office’s mind right now, players always play to win. Losing can be taxing mentally and RJ Barrett spoke to the importance of winning regardless of the roster construction.
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