On December 30, RJ Barrett went from being drowsy to being extremely vigilant after receiving a call from his agent Bill Duffy. Barrett was surprised to hear that the New York Knicks had traded him, but the “special” news was that the Canadian’s local Toronto Raptors had acquired him.
“I was clueless. I was just notified of the incident by phone. I asked myself, “What’s going on?” Barrett recently told Andscape. “I was really perplexed. I w
Barrett left Canada to play high school basketball at Florida’s Montverde Academy, where he eventually rose to the top of ESPN’s rankings for high school boys basketball in 2018. Barrett was chosen by the Knicks with the third overall choice in the 2019 NBA draft, following Zion Williamson and Ja Morant, following his one season at Duke University. Barrett, who averaged 18.1 points and 5.3 rebounds in 297 games and two postseason trips, feels he had an effect during his four and a half years with the Knicks. The Raptors’ return home has
Barrett was born on June 14
“I remember attending the games and loved going to the locker room,” Barrett remarked. Every night, I cherished watching Matty and Jack on TV. There are numerous items. This is the house. Back then, I was fond of DeMar DeRozan. All of this was being dunked by a young DeMar. Terrence Ross was good in his youth. Weems Sonny performed well. I have numerous recollections.
, 2000, in Toronto. He is the son of legendary Canadian basketball player Rowan Barrett, who competed professionally in Europe and attended St. John’s. Barrett’s father, who was born in Toronto, played for the Canadian national team, attended Raptors training camps in 1997 and 1999, and is currently the franchise’s general manager.
RJ Barrett was raised in the Mississauga neighbourhood of Toronto following his father’s 2008 retirement from professional basketball. He grew up to be a huge fan of both the colorful television broadcast team of play-by-play announcer Matt Devlin and color commentator Jack Armstrong, who played for the Raptors. Observing Jamaal Magloire, the first Canadian to wear a Raptors uniform, also of
been fantastic thus far; they have a 3-1 record following the deal, and Barrett has already put on a career-best performance.
Sunday in San Francisco, Barrett led the team to a 133-118 rout over the Golden State Warriors, scoring a career-high 37 points and dishing out five 3-pointers. In Barrett’s career, it was his third-highest scoring game. In Raptors history, he also scored the most points (37), of any player who was born in Canada. In his four games with Toronto, Barrett is averaging 21 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 3.0 assists.
as not prepared for th
“Offensively, I’ve felt good since game one,” Barrett remarked following the Warriors victory. “I feel like I’ve been playing really good lately. Although I didn’t score a lot of points in the first three games, I was effective in trying to play the appropriate position and support my teammates. There is still much to learn, including the defensive system, which is something I want to improve on every day.
