Raptors have emphatically denied RJ Barrett his longtime wish

"The modern NBA is about spacing. Perhaps once upon a time it was about strength and size and moxie, but the name of the game in this century is spacing. How are you using the vertical space, the horizontal space? How do you open up space on the perimeter for shooters to get open, space in the paint for cutters and drivers to score, space around playmakers for them to dime up teammates in the right spot to score?"

"There is not one way and one way only to build this spacing: you can have elite passing to maximize spacing, or elite athletes to stress defenses with their ability to score at the rim and suck them away from teammates. Yet the best way to maximize spacing is to have shooters who can not only shoot the highest value shots in the game, but that can use their gravity to suck defenders out of the paint --"

"RJ Barrett has gone his entire career without a spaced-out court. He is certainly part of the problem, a career 34.2 percent 3-point shooter who is not heoping his teammates out in the shooting department. Yet Barrett's best place on the court is with the ball in his hands, and he continues to not have room to truly stretch his wings and thrive."

RJ Barrett possesses underrated on-ball skills as a shot creator and playmaker and has taken a step forward since landing with the Toronto Raptors. The modern NBA prioritizes spacing—vertical and horizontal—to free shooters, cutters, drivers, and playmakers. Spacing can derive from elite passing or athletic finishers, but shooters with gravity provide the most reliable opening for efficient rim attempts. Barrett has played most of his career without a properly spaced roster, shooting 34.2 percent from three and not providing enough outside shooting. The New York Knicks surrounded him with many non-shooters, and the Raptors are denying Barrett his wish.

Read at Raptors Rapture