MONTREAL — RJ Barrett isn’t worried the hometown limelight will tire him.
The Toronto Raptors guard/forward decided to embrace the attention instead.
With the Raptors in Montreal for his first training camp with the team, the 24-year-old from Mississauga, Ontario is looking forward to donning the red, white and purple uniforms he grew up watching for a full NBA season.
“Even attending this interview is crazy to me. I used to see this on TV,” Barrett said Wednesday at the Université du Québec à Montréal. “I’m going to go out there and put my heart and soul into this and give it my all because I have a little more pride in it.
“This is my home. I have more desire and more passion for it every day. Just being me, I’m going to wake up every day and compete. So this is perfect for me.”
The Toronto camp opens its preseason game on Sunday against the Washington Wizards at the Bell Center in Montreal.
Barrett, whose father Rowan Barrett played professionally for France as a child, got the chance to practice his second language through a brief scrum with the French media.
Related videos
On the court, the Raptors highlighted their efforts on defense, which ranked 26th in the league last season. Coach Darko Rajaković expects Barrett to be a big part of the solution.
Get local breaking news
For news affecting Canada and around the world, sign up to have breaking news alerts delivered straight to you as they happen.
“RJ’s defensive effort and importance on defense should increase this year because of the needs of our team,” Rajaković said. “We talk a lot. I am calling him out on so many situations that he needs to be better. That person responded really well.
“It’s great to see him get a stop or do something good defensively where he celebrates and feels the energy. That’s victory. It’s about winning. So we need him to fall in love with defense and be as good an offensive player as he is.”
Barrett, the third overall draft pick in 2019, is better known for his play on the other side of the court.
The Raptors acquired Barrett and guard Emmanuel Quickley from the New York Knicks in the blockbuster OG Anunoby trade last December.
In a 32-game sample with Toronto, the 6-foot-6, 214-pound wing averaged career highs of 21.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists.
His efficiency has also skyrocketed. Barrett shot 55.3% from the floor, more than 10% higher than his career average, and made 39.2% of his 3-pointers.
But with the departures of Anunoby and Pascal Siakam, Barrett will have a tough task ahead of him at a position that boasts some of the best players in the league and he says he is ready for the challenge.
“If you want to win, it starts with defense,” Barrett said. “Especially with all the practice and effort over the summer, it was huge for me to be able to get reps defensively.
“If I’m playing defense, I might be playing defense with other players.”
At this summer’s Paris Olympics, Barrett averaged 19.8 points, the second-highest scorer in Canada behind NBA MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (21.0). Barrett also ranked third on the team in rebounds (3.8) and assists (3.5) as France defeated Canada 82-73 in the quarterfinals.
Despite the devastating loss, Barrett quickly traveled to Spain alongside fellow Canadian Kelly Olynyk to join the Raptors minicamp.
His strong summer is paying off early in training camp. On Wednesday, Rajaković highlighted Barrett as one of the standout players, citing his ambitions to succeed at home.
“I understand his role in the team and I think it’s important for him to take another step forward this year. I think he’s had a great summer with Canadian basketball, and staying healthy and staying in good shape has also helped with all of that.” Rajkovic said. “He is very excited to come home, play for Toronto and play for his Canadian fans.
“It all gives him extra motivation.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 2, 2024.
© 2024 The Canadian Press
