Official RJ Barrett Thread

[Mr.Raptorsingh]

Joe Johnson type talent if he can put it together

[Scizzup]

I didn't realize RJ was still 23. He is a meh player right now but there is a path for improvement imo. Just on the little things lower volume/defend better and hit volume 3's at at 37%.

The contract is meh right now but in 2 years it won't be bad. This team isn't doing anything for the next 2 years anyways and Scottie will be in his prime age then. if RJ works out, great if not you sign him for less or let him go.

[Tha Cynic]

If we were going to move OG, we could’ve had Sharpe instead. Younger, cheaper, higher upside, more athletic, better shooter.

With RJ, we’re doubling down on guys whose games are limited by their mediocre athleticism. I don’t know why we’re against bringing in dynamic athletes.

They did get Quickley who based on Masai's comments was the main target here. RJ was a salary dump, but if they can simply improve his 3 point shooting that's going to make him a very useful piece.

[HopelessKnick]

I hope he works out for you guys. I do think he has the tools to be a really good player but he is very inconsistant. He is 23 and if he can just improve his consistency he will be truly an asset for you guys. The theory in NY always was that at the 2-guard he'd be more efficient because he can bully opposing guards much better than SFs. Unfortunately we weren't able to put him at the 2 at all. I think the situation in Toronto is more ideal for him. Wishing him nothing but the best---class act, great kid.

[Brinbe]

Watch on YouTube

short but good listen. i think he's some there playmaking potential there and he's always making some good dishes to his Cs and that may well be one of the more underrated additions that he brings as a secondary creator for pascal/scottie/IQ and Yak, if he works on it. and he's gonna have tons of room out there to navigate since he won't be the featured guy and will have teammates that aren't julius randle.

the best version of RJ has already shown himself to be a proven playoff contributor.

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

there's def something there that he shows in flashes but it's just about getting more game-to-game consistency and better shooting into his game. hopefully he gets there. hard not to think that if he were a wee bit bigger, like around Paul Pierce's size, that it'd help him overcome his lack of top-tier athleticism.

Watch on YouTube

[hyper316]

Watch on YouTube

My observations:

- left hand drive dominant, if goes right then loves to spin back left (like a guard version of Siakam). Saw a few finishes with right hand but not strong finishes (right handed flick finger rolls)
- not explosive athlete but finish transition plays with 1 handed dunks
- surprisingly good passing chemistry with Mitchell Robinson on alleyoops and drop off for dunks
- shooting form tends to lean forward rather than upright and also angled instead of squared to basket. Should be fixable

Highlights not showing much on defense and his bad plays ofc, but there are good qualities to work with.

[PushDaRock]

I would bet RJB grew up as a DDR fan.

I believe he's stated before he's wanted to work with him in the offseason, not sure if Demar ever took him up on that.

Watch on YouTube

I think his path to being a better player is to try and improve upon what he does well which is getting to the rim and drawing fouls. If he can develop some more craftiness around the bucket to score and draw fouls, that's how he takes the next step. I think the shooting will always be pretty mediocre and streaky for him. The player he should really try to emulate more of is Jimmy Butler.

[Agimat]

DeMar DeRozan really flipped my perspective on how players develop. When he first hit the league, all he had were those open dunks, straight-line drives, and the classic spin move. Shooting? Broken. Dribbling? Basic af. Defense and rebounding? Mid, but look at him now – racking up All-Star appearances and being one of the top scorers in the league.

So, when I check out someone like Barrett, who's already got that natural scoring knack as a slasher, I'm not just sizing him up on the surface. I'm picturing what he could turn into in the next 1-3 years. Barrett's got a good foundation, and if he puts in the work on the other aspects of his game, he could level up into a seriously dynamic, all-around player. It's a reminder that a player's starting skill set isn't the end-all, be-all. He could be special if we played it right!

[Agimat]

If we were going to move OG, we could’ve had Sharpe instead. Younger, cheaper, higher upside, more athletic, better shooter.

With RJ, we’re doubling down on guys whose games are limited by their mediocre athleticism. I don’t know why we’re against bringing in dynamic athletes.

They did get Quickley who based on Masai's comments was the main target here. RJ was a salary dump, but if they can simply improve his 3 point shooting that's going to make him a very useful piece.

I believe that IQ was the primary factor in getting here and relying on RJ's growth to succeed in his hometown team.

[ConSarnit]

Watch on YouTube

short but good listen. i think he's some there playmaking potential there and he's always making some good dishes to his Cs and that may well be one of the more underrated additions that he brings as a secondary creator for pascal/scottie/IQ and Yak, if he works on it. and he's gonna have tons of room out there to navigate since he won't be the featured guy and will have teammates that aren't julius randle.

the best version of RJ has already shown himself to be a proven playoff contributor.

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

there's def something there that he shows in flashes but it's just about getting more game-to-game consistency and better shooting into his game. hopefully he gets there. hard not to think that if he were a wee bit bigger, like around Paul Pierce's size, that it'd help him overcome his lack of top-tier athleticism.

Watch on YouTube

He is? 3pt shooting the past 2 seasons:

Robinson: 0%
Randle: 32%

Poeltl: 0%
Siakam: 29%

RJ is going to be in near the exact same scenario where he's playing with a C with zero range and a PF whose 3pt shooting comes and goes. I don't see how this is going to be a better situation for him at all. For a guy that needs space to operate we aren't going to provide that.

And I don't believe he's a proven playoff contributor yet. Even during his "good" playoff run (last year) he was a below average efficiency scorer. He's had 1 terrible playoff run and 1 decent playoff run.

I want RJ to do well here but he hasn't really shown any above average skill outside of getting to the line. The positive is he has youth on his side and we've seen players of his ilk turn the corner around year 5-6 but everything up until this point has been pretty disappointing.

[Dr Positivity]

It seems like some of Barrett's strengths overlap with Barnes and Siakam. I think his playmaking is better than his assists and he has an ability to drive well just not finish. He never takes long 2s despite his Derozan/Gay statline. We can make it work if we trade Siakam but not all three.

[Brinbe]

Watch on YouTube

short but good listen. i think he's some there playmaking potential there and he's always making some good dishes to his Cs and that may well be one of the more underrated additions that he brings as a secondary creator for pascal/scottie/IQ and Yak, if he works on it. and he's gonna have tons of room out there to navigate since he won't be the featured guy and will have teammates that aren't julius randle.

the best version of RJ has already shown himself to be a proven playoff contributor.

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

there's def something there that he shows in flashes but it's just about getting more game-to-game consistency and better shooting into his game. hopefully he gets there. hard not to think that if he were a wee bit bigger, like around Paul Pierce's size, that it'd help him overcome his lack of top-tier athleticism.

Watch on YouTube

He is? 3pt shooting the past 2 seasons:

Robinson: 0%
Randle: 32%

Poeltl: 0%
Siakam: 29%

RJ is going to be in near the exact same scenario where he's playing with a C with zero range and a PF whose 3pt shooting comes and goes. I don't see how this is going to be a better situation for him at all. For a guy that needs space to operate we aren't going to provide that.

And I don't believe he's a proven playoff contributor yet. Even during his "good" playoff run (last year) he was a below average efficiency scorer. He's had 1 terrible playoff run and 1 decent playoff run.

I want RJ to do well here but he hasn't really shown any above average skill outside of getting to the line. The positive is he has youth on his side and we've seen players of his ilk turn the corner around year 5-6 but everything up until this point has been pretty disappointing.

Not necessarily, you can always run a lineup with IQ/Gary/RJ/Scottie/Siakam and I'm sure we'll see that at some point. Lots of shooting and spacing there. And who knows how things look if/when they trade Siakam. Yak isn't usually a closer for us anyway.

And that's my entire point that you're glossing over. He's 23-years-old. Do you really think he's done developing as a player? We don't know what he will become yet but people are overreacting and acting like he's a complete bum and afterthought when that's kinda stupid imo.

[aminiaturebuddha]

Maybe Barrett will become the first player in Raptor history to benefit from the NOAH system!

(seems like most of Scottie's shooting improvement happened in the off-season)

[WuTang_CMB]

Read on Twitter

?s=46&t=0YpMScWXY2zRUqR8fH-usg

[hyper316]

Read on Twitter

?t=h3BZnlqWgu4x7kC9IAjw1w&s=19

RJ shot look broken, damn

[aminiaturebuddha]

Read on Twitter

?t=h3BZnlqWgu4x7kC9IAjw1w&s=19

RJ shot look broken, damn

Not sure why you say that based on that clip. He made 5 of 6 corner threes.

[hyper316]

Read on Twitter

?t=h3BZnlqWgu4x7kC9IAjw1w&s=19

RJ shot look broken, damn

Not sure why you say that based on that clip. He made 5 of 6 corner threes.

I am looking at the form, look how low he starts his shot. Defender closing out he might not get his shot off. NBA players make over 70% easily in practice with no one defending, in game it drops to half because of game speed and defenders

[mrdressup]

I think he's the type of guy whose numbers will improve on a worse team. His inability to raise a fairly decent team to more than that won't be as apparent with us. We're going to immediately feel we have another NBA starter quality player to play instead of what we had to try and fit in. Could he be worse than GTJr has been as a 6th man? I mean, the guy can score at the rim, run a fast break and body people inside.

[Airmiess]

Read on Twitter

?t=h3BZnlqWgu4x7kC9IAjw1w&s=19

RJ shot look broken, damn

Not sure why you say that based on that clip. He made 5 of 6 corner threes.

I am looking at the form, look how low he starts his shot. Defender closing out he might not get his shot off. NBA players make over 70% easily in practice with no one defending, in game it drops to half because of game speed and defenders

He already went a whole season shooting 40%, if anything he will get better once hes a vet

[Vampirate]

Read on Twitter

?t=h3BZnlqWgu4x7kC9IAjw1w&s=19

RJ shot look broken, damn

Not sure why you say that based on that clip. He made 5 of 6 corner threes.

I am looking at the form, look how low he starts his shot. Defender closing out he might not get his shot off. NBA players make over 70% easily in practice with no one defending, in game it drops to half because of game speed and defenders

We somehow fixed Barnes to what he is today (Barnes had to work on it still), it's not out of question we can fix RJ's form.

Low key this trade is a perfect buy low sell high example. (not saying RJ will amount to anything, but who knows).

We sold high on OG and bought low on RJ.