When RJ Barrett was traded to the Raptors in the deal move OG Anunoby to the Knicksthe reaction was mixed.
Barrett was a promising young player averaging 18.1 points over five seasons with the Knicks, but naysayers would point to his inconsistent play and shooting efficiency issues.
Barrett made those criticisms seem completely false, becoming one of Toronto’s best players in the process. His stats are up across the board – he’s averaging 20.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists on an excellent 42.0 percent from 3 and 55.5 percent from the field.
Those shooting numbers will likely drop a bit, but much of Barrett’s overall improvement appears to be here to stay. Here’s why the Canadian wing was so much better on its return home.
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RJ Barrett takes better shots
Shot selection has been the biggest criticism of Barrett’s play with the Knicks. He was scoring points, but his effective success percentage, which makes 3 points worth more than 2 points, was always close. the last quarter of the league during his stay in New York.
Barrett completely turned things around in Toronto. His effective completion percentage of 61.1 since his trade ranks in the 91st percentile of all forwards.
The most obvious reason for the jump is that Barrett increased his 3-point percentage from 34.2 percent with the Knicks to 42.0 percent with the Raptors. But even more than hot shots, Barrett takes much better photos.
Barrett’s mid-range jumper was one of his big falls. He was terrible at that level, hitting just 33.3 percent from long 2s for his career. This shot was almost completely eliminated in Toronto… he only took three since he was traded.
Instead of those looks, Barrett has been a freight train arriving at the rim. And when he came close, he was the best finisher in the league at his position, according to the BBall Index database. This is another striking difference from his days in New York, where he was in the last quarter of the league in shots within four feet.
The touch on some of Barrett’s layups was incredible to watch.
RJ BARRETT WITH SOME ENGLISH ???? pic.twitter.com/PewuZhSady
– Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) February 29, 2024
There are many reasons why Barrett finds better shots and gets better windows to finish at the basket. Most of them relate to a much better fit in Toronto.
RJ Barrett’s new role is more suited to his strengths
New York’s offense is very different from Toronto’s. The Knicks are more heavily isolation-oriented and most of their possessions go through Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle. The Raptors have a more egalitarian system based on ball screens and movement.
What this means for Barrett is that instead of having to try to create his own offense, he’s been groomed for easier appearances much more frequently in Toronto. His assisted field goal percentage increased by 54.3 percent with the Knicks last season for 72.0 percent with the Raptors.
Barrett has already developed good chemistry with Scottie Barnes, which has made his life much easier. Immanuel Quickley and Barnes gave Barrett the ball more often with an advantage already created for him, which led to layups.
Head coach Darko Rajakovic has told reporters that he sees a bit of his fellow left-hander Manu Ginobili in Barrett. (Ginobili also happens to be Barrett’s favorite player.) It’s been a good role model.
Barret tried to fit in alongside his teammates, working well without the ball and putting a lot of pressure on the defense with his downhill ability and blazing 3-point shot.
RJ Barrett still does the things he’s good at, but better
Barrett’s No. 1 attribute remains his deadly ability to get to the hoop after bullies. The Knicks used him a lot downhill, and the Raptors followed suit.
As Samson Folk of Raptors Republic notedBarrett is “driving more than Scottie Barnes, scoring more and more efficiently in practice, passing more often in practice, creating almost as many assists in practice and turning the ball over less.”
This driving ability was further enhanced due to Barrett’s quality playmaking. His decision-making was suspect in New York. He’s making better reads in Toronto off the dribble, and his assists have gone from 2.4 with the Knicks to 3.8 with the Raptors.
The next steps for Barrett are to increase his defensive intensity and correct a bizarre decline to 57.6 percent from the free throw line. Those flaws aside, he has been a home run addition for this Raptors team. The growth seems real and the 23-year-old will play a major role in Toronto’s future.
