MONTREAL – RJ Barrett isn’t concerned the hometown limelight will wear him down.
The Toronto Raptors guard/forward is as a substitute selecting to embrace the eye.
With the Raptors in Montreal for his first training camp with the team, the 24-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., is looking forward to donning the red, white and purple jerseys he grew up awaiting a complete NBA season.
“It’s crazy to me to even be on this interview. I used to observe this on TV,” Barrett said on the Université du Québec à Montréal on Wednesday. “I actually have slightly bit more pride for it, so I’m going on the market, just give my whole heart to this, give every little thing.
“That is my home. I actually have an additional desire, extra passion for it each day. Just me being me I’m going to get up and compete daily. So this is ideal for me.”
Toronto’s camp runs through Sunday’s preseason game against the Washington Wizards at Montreal’s Bell Centre.
Barrett, whose father Rowan Barrett played professionally in France when he was younger, took the chance to practise his second language in a transient scrum with the French media readily available.
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On the court, the Raptors emphasized working on their defence, which ranked twenty sixth within the league last season. Head coach Darko Rajaković expects Barrett to be an enormous a part of the answer.
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“RJ’s defensive effort and importance on defence this yr has to rise just due to needs of our team,” Rajaković said. “We talk rather a lot. I’m calling him out in plenty of situations that he must be higher. He’s responded rather well.
“It’s great to see him when he gets a stop or does great things defensively that he’s celebrating and he feels energy. That’s winning. That’s about winning. So we’d like him to fall in love with defence, be pretty much as good a player as he’s offensively.”
Barrett, the third overall draft pick in 2019, is healthier known for his play at the opposite end of the ground.
The Raptors acquired Barrett and guard Immanuel Quickley from the Latest York Knicks within the blockbuster OG Anunoby trade last December.
In a 32-game sample with Toronto, the six-foot-six, 214-pound wing averaged profession highs of 21.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists.
His efficiency also spiked. Barrett shot 55.3 per cent from the ground — greater than 10 per cent higher than his profession average — and 39.2 per cent from three-point range.
But with Anunoby and Pascal Siakam gone, Barrett may have to tackle tough assignments ready that boasts among the league’s top players — and he says he’s up for the challenge.
“If you should win, it starts with defence,” Barrett said. “I’ve been practising it, working on it, especially throughout the summertime, that was huge for me to simply get reps defensively.
“If I’m playing defence, I can get on other guys to play defence too.”
At this summer’s Paris Olympics, Barrett averaged 19.8 points, Canada’s second-highest scorer behind NBA MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (21.0). Barrett was also third on the team in rebounds (3.8) and assists (3.5) as France stunned Canada 82-73 within the quarterfinals.
Despite the crushing loss, Barrett quickly travelled to Spain with fellow Canadian Kelly Olynyk to hitch a Raptors mini-camp.
His strong summer is paying off early in training camp. On Wednesday, Rajaković highlighted Barrett as one in every of the players who’s standing out, noting his ambition of succeeding at home.
“I just think that understanding his role on a team, the importance of him to step up this yr. I believe that he had an important summer with Canada Basketball, staying healthy, getting in fine condition, also has helped with all of that.” Rajaković said. “He’s very excited to be home and play in Toronto and playing for the Canadian fans.
“All of that brings extra motivation for him.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 2, 2024.
© 2024 The Canadian Press
