Official RJ Barrett Thread Part 2

[LoveMyRaps]

STAR J

[LoveMyRaps]

Quietly having the best season of his career.

The turnaround has been remarkable. He's slowly improving on the defensive end as well.

When Scottie plays, he's much more comfortable and a lot more efficient.

Averaging 22/7/5 in 24 games with Scottie this season.

Star J.

[PushDaRock]

Quietly having the best season of his career.

The turnaround has been remarkable. He's slowly improving on the defensive end as well.

When Scottie plays, he's much more comfortable and a lot more efficient.

Averaging 22/7/5 in 24 games with Scottie this season.

Star J.

59 TS% with Scottie and 51 TS% without him this season. I see this as a positive because he's showing he can be very efficient around another good player. I would be less enthused if his efficiency was 55-56 TS% with or without him.

[tsherkin]

I've got him at 57.8% TS over 25 games with Scottie this season.

[RaptorLakerJay]

Quietly having the best season of his career.

The turnaround has been remarkable. He's slowly improving on the defensive end as well.

When Scottie plays, he's much more comfortable and a lot more efficient.

Averaging 22/7/5 in 24 games with Scottie this season.

Star J.

He's shooting 51% from the field when Scottie plays, and 41.5% when Scottie doesn't play. Huge difference

[dballislife]

rj looking 20-22 6 5

barnes possibly 23-25 8 7

still work to do but thats a nice start to your franchise

[mtcan]

As I keep saying...don't judge RJ by what he did in NY (having to play behind Julius Randle). Judge him since he's come to Toronto. Difference is night and day. Scoring, rebounding, assists and fg% all at career highs at 22 pts, 6 rebounds and 6 assists but apparently that's just good enough for 6 man according to some people...??????????

I did not like his inconsistency and shot selection while in NY but he has been a very pleasant surprise coming over in the trade.

[HiJiNX]

Underrated. We don’t appreciate him enough. You know what you’re getting from him every night. Yeah you want the FT shooting and to be better and his ability to track weakside defenders and navigate screens but he’s a damn good player. And he’s starting to understand defence a lot better.

[tsherkin]

he’s a damn good player.

That's probably a little too aggressive a descriptor for him at this stage. We've seen this type of player many times over the years and haven't called them "damn good" at any point. His best comparison at the moment is essentially Washington Larry Hughes with more rim pressure. Him being on our roster doesn't change that, unless he makes some more meaningful strides. There's some potential there, to be sure, but that isn't the same thing.

[Thaddy]

His defense is still bad, what are you guys seeing?

[Basketball_Jones]

Why the hell can’t he hit free throws otherwise I can’t complain much. Don’t think he’ll ever be a good defender but he can be okay sometimes. The free throws piss me off though.

[brownbobcat]

Why the hell can’t he hit free throws otherwise I can’t complain much. Don’t think he’ll ever be a good defender but he can be okay sometimes. The free throws piss me off though.

It's troubling at this point, he's shooting 66% over nearly a full season's worth of games with Toronto. You can't be a poor-shooting lead wing with average-ish athleticism in this league, you just can't.

[MEDIC]

I think he will eventually figure the FT thing out. He is not going to be 90%, but 75+. I also think if he stays in the same.system, his defense will improve.

The guy is a worker. I think he just needs some stability for a couple of years. Play for the same coach, same players & same team.

[Scase]

I think he will eventually figure the FT thing out. He is not going to be 90%, but 75+. I also think if he stays in the same.system, his defense will improve.

The guy is a worker. I think he just needs some stability for a couple of years. Play for the same coach, same players & same team.

And what exactly would lead you to that conclusion? It's been 6 years, I don't think he's as bad as he's been this year, but there is nothing that suggests he will ever be a 75%+ shooter consistently. Same goes for his defence, he was in the same system for 4 years and coached by one of the best defensive coaches in decades and he was still bad.

He's been playing well this season otherwise, but there is no reason to believe either of those 2 things will ever come to fruition 7+ years in the league.

[HiJiNX]

he’s a damn good player.

That's probably a little too aggressive a descriptor for him at this stage. We've seen this type of player many times over the years and haven't called them "damn good" at any point. His best comparison at the moment is essentially Washington Larry Hughes with more rim pressure. Him being on our roster doesn't change that, unless he makes some more meaningful strides. There's some potential there, to be sure, but that isn't the same thing.

No offence but that’s a ridiculous comparison.

[tsherkin]

No offence but that’s a ridiculous comparison.

Is it? Washington Hughes was a roughly 22/6/5 player in 2005 on 99 TS+. He had some ball-handling, had some playmaking, and what he lacked from 3 compared to RJ he made up for with competent FT shooting. He was also better at playing the passing lanes, but the basic premise is there.

Bleh-efficiency volume production with some box-score packing around it from a guard.

"Ridiculous" isn't the right word for it. The comparison isn't perfect, but it works reasonably well by tier of player.

[Scase]

No offence but that’s a ridiculous comparison.

Is it? Washington Hughes was a roughly 22/6/5 player in 2005 on 99 TS+. He had some ball-handling, had some playmaking, and what he lacked from 3 compared to RJ he made up for with competent FT shooting. He was also better at playing the passing lanes, but the basic premise is there.

Bleh-efficiency volume production with some box-score packing around it from a guard.

"Ridiculous" isn't the right word for it. The comparison isn't perfect, but it works reasonably well by tier of player.

He also did this while leading the league in steals, and on a winning team. Maybe that's the ridiculous part

But more seriously, maybe he thought you meant career trajectory, as opposed to that specific year?

[LoveMyRaps]

I'm the biggest RJ supporter, but don't think he's got it in him to be the second option of a championship team.
He can be a third or fourth option, and a pretty damn good one at that.

that's why it was important to draft a guy like Flagg or Ace from this upcoming draft because in a few years you'd have...

Flagg, Barnes, and RJ and that'd be a solid core to build around.

[tsherkin]

He also did this while leading the league in steals, and on a winning team. Maybe that's the ridiculous part

But more seriously, maybe he thought you meant career trajectory, as opposed to that specific year?

Yeah, I was mainly looking at 05 in particular. Steals aside, of course.

[tsherkin]

Flagg, Barnes, and RJ and that'd be a solid core to build around.

It'd be an interesting start. Especially if Gradey finds his scoring rhythm.