The RJ Barrett Question

"Being close to the Raptors though, I can tell you we have all been living off of words instead of actions for a very long time. They're good words, at least. However, it was in February, with the Brandon Ingram trade, that the Raptors announced their intentions for this upcoming season. The few thousand who got to see the open practice saw a little bit, I suppose, but it's not much, if anything."

"While I do think it's somewhat informative that Barrett had a 32-game stretch at the end of 2023-24 as a Raptor where he posted a 61-percent TS% and was generally doing a fantastic job of getting buckets as a hyper efficient ancillary player, it's not a guarantee of anything. Barrett shot 72-percent at the rim, 39-percent on catch-and-shoot triples, and was one of the highest volume transition players in the NBA. He did, however, shoot 53-percent on his halfcourt possessions. He was great!"

"Last year he was a very high volume transition player, and he shot a passable 36-percent on his catch-and-shoot triples. He shot poorly from the free throw line both years. He cut less last year, but largely because he took on more initiation possessions - pick n' roll ball handler possessions in particular, where he was in the top third of the NBA for efficiency -"

The Raptors have relied on words more than on-court results, with the Brandon Ingram trade clarifying roster intentions. Open practices revealed little concrete change. The central question is how starting shooting guard RJ Barrett will be used and whether he can be replaced in the starting lineup. Barrett finished a 32-game stretch with a 61% TS, strong rim finishing, solid catch-and-shoot numbers and high transition volume, yet those numbers are not guaranteed to persist. Defensive concerns matter, but sustained offensive efficiency would lessen their impact. Barrett increased initiation, showed pick-and-roll efficiency, but struggled as a pull-up shooter and at the free-throw line.

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