The following is part of Raptors Republic’s series of pieces reviewing the season for the Toronto Raptors. You can find all the pieces in the series here.
After being traded to his hometown team in the middle of last season, RJ Barrett was able to get a full season with Toronto under his belt this season. The 8th year guard was tasked with more on-court responsibility than he has ever had in his career, and the returns were mixed.
With the multitude of injuries that Toronto had all season long, Barrett was often left to pick up the pieces. This season, Barrett recorded his highest usage percentage in his career at 28.7 percent, and with that came some struggles but it also came with some growth. This season Barret averaged 21.1 points per game, 6.3 rebounds per game, and a career high 5.4 assists per game. Barrett’s increase in assists came as a result of his increased usage, along with playing into Darko Rajakovic’s scheme, but he also made notable improvements as a passer in his own right.
Averaging 12.6 drives per game this season, Barrett parlayed these drives into playmaking opportunities, often finding spot up shooters who became open as a result of his drives. Barrett was able to keep his turnovers down as well, despite the increase in usage and assists per game. He wasn’t making a ton of risky high leverage passes like his teammate Scottie Barnes does, but his playmaking was still impactful nonetheless.
Barrett has long been known for his driving ability, and he continued to show proficiency there, shooting 60 percent in the restricted area. Barrett is not a silky smooth driver, he does not get to the rim by dancing around defenders. Barrett’s driving style can be likened to a ram being smashed against a wall until the desired outcome is reached. The majority of his shot attempts came in the restricted area, and more often than not he succeeded.
The beauty of Barrett’s scoring that really showed itself during his time in Toronto is that he can get to the rim with and without the ball. On his restricted area shot attempts, 53.9 percent of them were assessed, while 46.1 percent of them were unassisted. Barrett’s ability to time his cuts extremely well, and not get in the way of the offense is one of the best traits about his offensive repertoire. Barrett can get to the rim off of a 45 cut, out of the pick roll, and also through transition where he averaged 6.1 points per game. Barrett was doing this while also playing with the 23rd best shooting team in the NBA. With better health in Toronto moving forward, Barrett’s offensive load will likely be lessened and his efficiency can also increase as well.
A quiet part of Barrett’s game that saw some improvement was his three point shooting. Although he shot 1 percent worse this season compared to the previous year, he did this while increasing his attempts per game. His catch and shoot stats are also more than adequate. While 36.4 percent on 4.7 catch and shoot attempts per game is not elite, it is somewhat reliable, especially on a team starved for shooting.
Barrett’s defense was strong this year, he seemed more comfortable using his larger frame to guard opposing wings. While he’s not the quickest player laterally, he also is not a player that can be moved off of his spot easily either. His off-ball defense wasn’t the greatest, but with Jakob Poeltl and Barnes behind him at times, the negative impact was lessened. Barrett is not a standout defender, but he is also not a defender who will tank your defense either.
All this being said, Barrett’s efficiency on the season did drop when compared to last season. At times he did seem a bit overextended in this role, and when you look at some of the lineups he was burdened with, the drop in efficiency makes sense. Barrett’s growth as a playmaker this season, while also maintaining his off-ball ability on offense bodes very well for his future with this team, and overall Barrett had a positive season for Toronto.
