RJ Barrett couldn’t help but smile. After four and a half seasons in New York, a year at Duke, and his entire high school career south of the border, Barrett is finally back in Toronto and playing for the team he grew up idolizing. “Who doesn’t want to come home?” Barrett said Monday as the Toronto Raptors welcomed the 23-year-old to the organization. “Who doesn’t want to come home and play in front of family and friends and try to get a team that I’ve always loved so much back to where they were in 2019?”
The past 48 hours have been a whirlwind for Barrett who said he got the news of his trade Saturday morning just as he woke up. The Knicks had been in Indiana when Barrett found out he and Immanuel Quickley had been dealt to the Raptors for OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa, and Malachi Flynn. “Immediately I was happy,” Barrett said. “I grew up a Raptors fan all my life. So to come here and put this jersey on this is gonna be great.” It’s great now, but Barrett acknowledged a few years ago a return home wouldn’t have been so easy. He no longer has to carry the weight of being the No. 3 pick in the 2019 draft and the expectations of becoming Canada’s next basketball superstar.
Now he’s comfortable being who he is, a young veteran in the NBA who has figured out his routine and knows how to be a professional without the concerns that often accompany a return to one’s hometown. For Barrett, a fresh start will be a welcomed experience. At this point, just hours into his Raptors career, he’s unsure exactly what his role will be in Toronto, but he’ll likely slide into the starting spot vacated by Anunoby and help the Raptors as an offensive playmaker, someone who can bring a little more shot creation to Toronto’s half-court attack than Anunoby did. “I’ve kind of showed who I am over the course of years and just trying to get better … and hopefully unlock some new areas of my game that I haven’t been able to show as much,” Barrett said.
