Toronto Raptors' RJ Barrett making unique Canadian basketball history
Putting on the Toronto Raptors uniform might just mean a little bit more for forward RJ Barrett than your average player coming through town.
The 25-year-old Toronto native, who is now in his third season with the team, seems to be right at home this season. He’s on pace for his third straight 20+ point-per-game campaign, a mark he hit just once in parts of five seasons with the New York Knicks.
“From day one, you could see that he really loves being here and he loves being in Toronto,” Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic said this week. “He loves being in this community here. He cares so much about the Toronto Raptors. He grew up as a Raptors fan. He really wanted this to work out, and every time talking to him, he’s always raving about the city.”
Barrett spent much of his formative years just outside of Toronto, with a basketball family that includes his father, and Canadian men’s national team general manager Rowan Barrett
“Maybe he likes Mississauga a little bit better than Toronto,” Rajakovic added with a laugh, “But he’s the guy that really takes a lot of pride in what he does over here.”
For Barrett, trust in his coach has been a big part of his success.
“When you have a coach that is going out there that cares about you, that really wants the team to succeed, but also you to succeed as a person as a player on and off the court… You believe [in them] and you trust [them] and you want to go to war for them,” Barrett added.
Barrett has had his struggles with his league-wide perception in Toronto, starting just shortly after his initial trade to the team in late December 2023. On a $107-million deal originally signed with the Knicks, Barrett hasn’t always been spoken about highly in league circles by those outside of the organization.
“For some reason, his contract was labelled toxic [by an anonymous NBA exec]… but every season, he’s just outperforming those expectations,” author Oren Weisfeld added.
And while several Canadian players such as Cory Joseph, Kelly Olynyk, Chris Boucher, and Jamaal Magloire have suited up for Toronto, none of them have had a shot to be such a key player like Barrett has right now.
This season, he’s slated to finish top-25 in all-time games started by a Raptors player, having already held the mark for most starts by a Canadian.
Weisfeld, who penned the recently released book Golden Generation: How Canada became a Global Basketball Powerhouse, featuring exclusive interviews with Canadian basketball icons such as Barrett, shared his perspective about Barrett’s unique role in Raptors history.
“Most of [the Canadian Raptors] were like, bench players, or fifth options, guys who just weren’t expected to score or have the ball a ton,” Weisfeld added. “Being a Canadian that’s also a borderline star on the Raptors is a big deal.”
Weisfeld also spoke about a lesser-recognized figure in Barrett’s journey: Miami Heat player Andrew Wiggins.
Barrett and Wiggins are five years apart, but both grew up as key figures in the Canadian and Toronto-area youth basketball scene. Wiggins went to Kansas and was drafted No. 1 overall in 2014, while Barrett went to Duke and was drafted third overall in 2019.
“[Seeing Wiggins get drafted so high] was super inspiring for [Barrett]. The same thing goes for guys like Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander] and Dillon Brooks, and all these guys were only like a few years younger than Wiggins, but who got a lot of confidence from the fact that he was able to become the prospect he did from Canada,” Weisfeld added. “I would say, [Wiggins’] whole story, the impact he had on some of today’s best players, goes underrated at times.”
For Barrett, his biggest influence on Canadian basketball might not be what he does on the court, but on the next young superstar he’s able to inspire.
“The [Canadian players] who are in college right now and high school and who are still watching the NBA and thriving to get to the NBA… they’re Raptors fans. Realistically, most Canadians who like basketball are Raptors fans. So I’m sure they’re watching RJ,” Weisfeld added.