<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/raptors-news-rj-barrett-real-emotions-facing-knicks');   ga('set', 'title', 'RJ Barrett gets 100% real about emotions in facing Knicks');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Raptors-news-RJ-Barrett-gets-100-real-about-emotions-in-facing-Knicks.jpg"></figure><h1>RJ Barrett gets 100% real about emotions in facing Knicks</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-09T23:19:48-08:00">December 9th, 11:19pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-09T23:19:48-08:00">December 9th, 11:19pm</time><address><a>Nathan Yasis</a>Nathan Yasis is an Associate Editor for ClutchPoints, specializing in the NBA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>RJ Barrett couldn’t hold back the emotions as he faced his former New York Knicks team. After his Toronto Raptors’ 113-108 loss on Wednesday, Barrett <a href="https://x.com/JLew1050/status/1866329542945615970" rel="noopener">opened up about his feelings</a> meeting his old squad again, with the first anniversary of their split fast approaching on Dec. 30.</p><p>“For me? Oh yeah, for sure. It’s your old team, so there are always emotions. I was one of those people that was there from Day 1, when I got drafted. So, definitely some emotions, for sure,” said Barrett.</p><p>Barrett put forth a strong effort against his former team, contributing 30 points, eight rebounds, and four assists while shooting an efficient 54 percent from the floor.</p><p>The Raptors star also brought the game to a 108-108 tie with 42 seconds left in the fourth quarter. However, his efforts were thwarted as Towns scored five points in the final 36 seconds, sealing the Knicks’ win and dashing Barrett’s chance to get back with his former team.</p><p>Since being traded by the Knicks, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/raptors-news-rj-barrett-reveals-reasons-breakout-knicks-trade-he-felt-coming">RJ Barrett has made a huge impact on the Toronto Raptors</a>.</p><h2><b>RJ Barrett right at home with the Toronto Raptors</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Raptors-RJ-Barrett-against-the-Knicks.jpg"><figcaption>John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Barrett’s move away from New York proved to be a turning point in his career, granting him the opportunity to return home and thrive in Toronto, where he has embraced a fresh chapter and excelled within the Raptors’ framework.</p><p>Heading into the week, he’s posting career-best averages of 23.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 5.9 assists during his sixth season in the league.</p><p>The Knicks selected RJ Barrett with the third overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft —a consolation prize following the Knicks’ lottery disappointment in missing out on Zion Williamson and Ja Morant.</p><p>Barret was envisioned as a cornerstone of their future in the post-Carmelo Anthony era. Over the next few seasons, the Duke product displayed significant growth and potential, emerging as a key contributor to the Knicks’ transformation from a rebuilding team into one of the Eastern Conference’s top contenders.</p><p>While he has previously faced his former team, Monday’s matchup at Scotiabank Arena carries extra significance, coming just three weeks shy of the one-year anniversary of the trade that brought him to Toronto.</p><h2><b>Barrett moving from the Big Apple back to his hometown</b></h2><p>On December 30, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/raptors-rj-barrett-immanuel-quickley-open-up-on-returning-to-play-knicks-after-trade-to-toronto">RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley</a> were traded to the Toronto Raptors in a deal that brought OG Anunoby and Precious Achiuwa to the New York Knicks. The Knicks have capitalized on the contributions of their new additions, leveraging their talent to climb the Eastern Conference standings.</p><p>Barrett’s journey with the rebuilding Raptors carries a personal edge: he’s been given a low-pressure chance to reshape the trajectory of his NBA career, and his strong performances so far could firmly position him in the conversation for Most Improved Player honors.</p><p>The 24-year-old’s stint with Toronto has kept him rooted near his hometown of Mississauga, where he remains close to his network of friends and family. Among them is his father, Rowan Barrett, a former standout in Canadian basketball and the current general manager of the country’s men’s national team. Together, the Barretts helped lead Canada to a bronze medal at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, earning the team its first Olympic berth since 2000 for the upcoming 2024 Paris Games.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

RJ Barrett gets 100% real about emotions in facing Knicks

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/raptors-news-rj-barrett-reveals-reasons-breakout-knicks-trade-he-felt-coming');   ga('set', 'title', 'Raptors’ RJ Barrett reveals reasons for breakout after Knicks trade he felt coming');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Raptors-news-RJ-Barrett-reveals-reasons-for-breakout-after-Knicks-trade-he-felt-coming.jpg"></figure><h1>Raptors’ RJ Barrett reveals reasons for breakout after Knicks trade he felt coming</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-09T13:18:12-08:00">December 9th, 1:18pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-09T13:18:12-08:00">December 9th, 1:18pm</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Other Sports</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>As Toronto Raptors forward RJ Barrett approaches the first anniversary of his trade from the New York Knicks, he revealed the rollercoaster of emotions he experienced throughout the process. After taking the rest of the 2023-24 campaign to adapt, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/raptors-news-rj-barrett-enters-vince-carter-territory-after-monster-game-vs-timberwolves">Barrett entered Vince Carter territory this season</a> in a 110-105 win against the Timberwolves. He finished with 31 points on 10-of-14 shooting amidst the best season of his career. Still, he was shocked at the time.</p><p>When Barrett learned about the trade via text message after waking up from a nap, his head spun. However, looking back on it now, deep down, he <a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/nba/longform/how-raptors-wing-rj-barrett-ended-up-exactly-where-he-needs-to-be/" rel="noopener">knew</a> the Knicks would move him at some point during the season, per Sportsnet’s Michael Grange.</p><p>“I kind of knew I was going to get traded last year,” Barrett says now, approaching the anniversary of the Dec. 30th deal. “You can tell when you’re treated a certain way.”</p><p>One of Barrett’s teammates, Immanuel Quickley, who was involved in the trade from the Knicks, also saw Barrett’s fateful move coming.</p><p>“Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle — it ain’t that hard to figure out,” Quickley said. “Two guys that were All-Stars, All-NBA? Anybody understands that.”</p><p>Still, when Barrett found out he was heading to the Raptors — a team he grew up cheering for — he considered the move differently.</p><p>“He was jumping around and stuff,” Quickley said. “He was excited to go back home. It was real.”</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/knicks-vs-raptors-prediction-odds-pick-12-9-2024">Raptors will host Barrett’s former team, the Knicks</a>, on Monday.</p><h2><b>How the Raptors’ offense was a better fit for RJ Barrett</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Raptors-forward-RJ-Barrett.jpg"><figcaption>Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Understanding the business side of the NBA comes with seeing player movement throughout the regular season. Still, from a basketball standpoint, Barrett understood the benefits the Knicks stood to gain in making such a move mid-season.</p><p>“I think that those guys were so good that we didn’t need the cuts and stuff… they’re going to put the ball in the basket,” Barrett said. “In basketball, sometimes, better offense wins, and it clearly worked, it’s effective… I was able to do my thing [in New York]. It’s just here I’m more efficient.”</p><p>Why’s that the case in contrast to your time with the Knicks?</p><p>“No. 1, the brand of basketball is different. I think it fits my style a little more. The team that we have, we’re young, we run,” Barrett said. “I’ve always been a guy that’s been good in transition, so that always helps… and I think people heard when [Quickley] was like, “He cuts only when he wants to score.” Barrett laughs before continuing. “But I cut more [here] just because I know I have a chance to get [the ball], and even when I don’t get it, I’m not upset about it because I know I’m getting it on the next one… if you cut all the time and you never get the ball, you’re probably not gonna want to cut.”</p><p>The Raptors rank fifth in the NBA in fast-break scoring as a team.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Raptors’ RJ Barrett reveals reasons for breakout after Knicks trade he felt coming

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/cavs-news-cleveland-thin-on-wing-against-raptors');   ga('set', 'title', 'Cavs could be thin on the wing against RJ Barrett, Raptors');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Cavs-news-Cleveland-could-be-thin-on-the-wing-against-RJ-Barrett-Raptors.jpg"></figure><h1>Cavs could be thin on the wing against RJ Barrett, Raptors</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-24T08:56:41-08:00">November 24th, 8:56am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-24T08:56:41-08:00">November 24th, 8:56am</time><address><a href="https://www.downeuclid.com">Evan Dammarell</a>Evan Dammarell is an award-winning sports journalist covering all things Cleveland, including the Cavs, right off the shores of Lake Erie. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Cleveland Cavaliers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After their first extended break, the Cleveland Cavaliers are back in action against the Toronto Raptors. Last time out, the Cavs won against the New Orleans Pelicans 128-108. The Raptors, meanwhile, are on a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/raptors-most-pleasant-surprise-early-2024-25-season">two-game winning streak after Toronto defeated</a> the Minnesota Timberwolves 110-105.</p><p>This will be the second of four times <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cavs-news-what-to-watch-for-raptors">Cleveland and Toronto face off this year</a>. In their first matchup, the Cavs won in Toronto against the Raptors 136-106. So, heading into this matchup, Cleveland will look to remain undefeated against Toronto, while the Raptors will be looking for revenge.</p><p>Toronto is 4-12 and has the third-worst record in the Eastern Conference. Things are dire for the Raptors, who are only one game ahead of the last-place Washington Wizards. This could be a trap game for Cleveland based on who is available for Toronto.</p><p>Unfortunately, both teams are <a href="https://ak-static.cms.nba.com/referee/injury/Injury-Report_2024-11-24_10AM.pdf" rel="noopener">dealing with numerous injuries</a> heading into this matchup, making this a grind for either side.</p><h2><b>Who is unavailable for the Raptors against Cleveland?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Donovan-Mitchell-pass-Cavs-Raptors.jpg"><figcaption>Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Against the Cavs, Toronto will be without Bruce Brown (return to conditioning), D.J. Carton (NBA G League assignment), Ulrich Chomche (NBA G League assignment), Kelly Olynyk (back), Immanuel Quickley (UCL tear) and Ja’Kobe Walter (NBA G League assignment).</p><p>Bruno Fernando, meanwhile, is dealing with a right ankle sprain and is listed as questionable. Fernando’s availability will depend on how his ankle is feeling, so he will likely be a game-time decision.</p><p>If Fernando is unavailable for the Raptors against Cleveland, it’ll be his third game in a row he’s missed. The 26-year-old big man is averaging 3.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 9.1 minutes across his 11 appearances this season.</p><p>Brown, meanwhile, is close to returning to action for Toronto. The veteran guard has yet to suit up this season due to a knee injury but appears close to returning to the floor.</p><p>Olynyk has been dealing with a nagging back injury that has sidelined him for several games. It’s unsure when the veteran big man will return to the floor for Toronto.</p><p>Finally, Quickley, the star guard, is expected to miss nearly a month after suffering a partial UCL tear in his left elbow.</p><h2><b>Who is unavailable for the Cavs against Toronto?</b></h2><p>Like the Raptors, the Cavs will be without several key contributors. Caris LeVert (knee), Max Strus (ankle), and Dean Wade (ankle) remain sidelined. Meanwhile, Emoni Bates (NBA G League assignment, knee surgery) is still unavailable after offseason knee surgery.</p><p>Cleveland’s matchup with Toronto will be the 19th straight regular-season game without Strus. The Cavs sharpshooter sprained his right ankle during individual workouts. After confirming the sprain’s severity, it was announced that Strus would be reevaluated after six weeks of treatment and rehabilitation.</p><p>Wade, meanwhile, suffered an ankle sprain in Cleveland’s win over the Charlotte Hornets. The floor-spacing big man <a href="https://x.com/twithersAP/status/1858331884868276464" rel="noopener">was seen exiting the arena</a> in a walking boot postgame. Not having Wade available is a massive blow to a Cavs team dealing with injuries all season. Wade is arguably one of Cleveland’s best defenders and would help slow down Boston’s perimeter-heavy attack.</p><p>Okoro, who also suffered an ankle sprain against the Hornets, is questionable, and the decision on whether or not he’ll play will be made at game time.</p><p>Sam Merill (ankle) and Darius Garland (groin) are returning to the Cavs’ lineup after both were sidelined against the Pelicans. Both will give Cleveland a much-needed scoring punch – especially from the perimeter. However, with how banged up the Cavs are, it’ll force head coach Kenny Atkinson to get creative with his lineups.</p><p>“I think we did the best we could with distributing minutes,” Atkinson said to ClutchPoints after the Cavs defeated the Hornets. “You can’t fight the schedule. You just can’t. You’re going to end up being short-handed too much.</p><p>“So I’m a little disappointed we had a couple of guys go down tonight. But this is a tough league. This is a tough league physically. I don’t know if the fans can even grasp how hard it is.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Cavs could be thin on the wing against RJ Barrett, Raptors

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/cavs-news-what-to-watch-for-raptors');   ga('set', 'title', 'What to watch for when Cavs face RJ Barrett, Raptors');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Cavs-news-What-to-watch-when-Cleveland-faces-R.J.-Barrett-Raptors.jpg"></figure><h1>What to watch for when Cavs face RJ Barrett, Raptors</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-24T08:08:40-08:00">November 24th, 8:08am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-24T14:07:53-08:00">November 24th, 2:07pm</time><address><a href="https://www.downeuclid.com">Evan Dammarell</a>Evan Dammarell is an award-winning sports journalist covering all things Cleveland, including the Cavs, right off the shores of Lake Erie. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Cleveland Cavaliers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After their first break in the season, Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers return home to host RJ Barrett and the Toronto Raptors. Last time out, the Cavs defeated the Pelicans 128-100. Meanwhile, in their latest contest, the Raptors won 110-105 over the Minnesota Timberwolves.</p><p>This will be the second of four times Cleveland and Toronto face off this year. In their first matchup, the Cavs won in Toronto against the Raptors 136-106. So, heading into this matchup, Cleveland will look to remain undefeated against Toronto, while the Raptors will be looking for revenge.</p><p>Toronto is 4-12 and has the third-worst record in the Eastern Conference. Things are dire for the Raptors, who are only one game ahead of the last-place Washington Wizards. This could be a trap game for Cleveland based on who is available for Toronto. Here’s how the Cavs can maintain control of the game from wire to wire to ensure the Raptors go extinct.</p><h2><b>It’ll be a battle on the boards between the Cavs and Raptors</b></h2><p>Despite their lackluster record, Toronto is a team that plays hard on either end of the floor. Heading into this matchup, the Raptors are eighth in the NBA in rebounding, <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/teams/traditional?sort=REB&amp;dir=-1" rel="noopener">averaging 45.3 per game</a>. The Cavs, meanwhile, have averaged 42.6 rebounds per game, <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/teams/traditional?sort=REB&amp;dir=-1" rel="noopener">which is suitable for only 21st</a> in the NBA. So, heading into this matchup, whoever sets the tone on the glass could dictate how this game goes for either side.</p><p>For Toronto, big man Jakob Poeltl has led the Raptors in rebounding, averaging 11.9 rebounds per game. More impressively, in his last five games, Poeltl has averaged 13.0 rebounds per game, serving as a deciding factor on the boards in Toronto’s two-game winning streak.</p><p>Cleveland must slow down Poeltl to prevent Toronto from winning three in a row. That responsibility will fall on the Cavs’ big man duo of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, who combine for 23.2 rebounds per game. If Allen and Mobley can contain Poletl on the boards and use their rebounding to dictate the flow, then the Cavs will have an easier time taking care of the Raptors.</p><h2><b>The return of RJ Barrett for Toronto against Cleveland</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Donovan-Mitchell-dribble-Cavs-Raptors.jpg"><figcaption>Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The first time these teams squared off, the Raptors didn’t have Canada’s RJ Barrett available. While Barrett’s availability might not have made the difference in the first matchup, he is a fundamental difference-maker for Toronto.</p><p>Barrett has averaged 23.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 6.2 assists in 34.2 minutes per game this season. As the Raptors leading scorer, he’ll be the head of the snake on offense for Toronto and Cleveland’s primary defensive focus.</p><p>Moreover, the Cavs need Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland to match Barrett’s scoring. If the Cavs do that, then this matchup is much more palatable for Cleveland – especially with the questions the Cavs are dealing with on the wing.</p><h2><b>The Cavs’ revolving door on the wing</b></h2><p>The Cavs were limited on the perimeter in their matchup against the Pelicans. Against New Orleans, Cleveland was without Max Strus, Caris LeVert, Dean Wade, and Isaac Okoro.</p><p>So, the Cavs were forced to get creative in their approach on the perimeter, plugging, and playing options to maximize their on-court options. Cleveland gave the starting nod to rookie Jaylon Tyson against New Orleans at the three. He provided an immediate impact by scoring an efficient 16 points on 7-12 shooting.</p><p>Tyson might get the start again against Toronto with LeVert, Strus, and Wade unavailable, and Okoro considered a game-time decision. It will also force Cleveland’s coaching staff to remain creative.</p><p>The Cavs might play more three-guard lineups featuring Garland and Mitchell, along with either Ty Jerome or Sam Merrill. Cleveland also could play bigger with Georges Niang as a small forward. Regardless, the Cavs are dealing with a revolving door on the wing that will keep spinning until the team is entirely healthy.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

What to watch for when Cavs face RJ Barrett, Raptors

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/raptors-news-rj-barrett-gets-100-real-scottie-barnes-return');   ga('set', 'title', 'Raptors’ RJ Barrett gets 100% real about Scottie Barnes’ return');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Raptors-news-RJ-Barrett-gets-100-real-about-Scottie-Barnes-return.jpg"></figure><h1>Raptors’ RJ Barrett gets 100% real about Scottie Barnes’ return</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-22T09:16:49-08:00">November 22nd, 9:16am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-22T10:42:05-08:00">November 22nd, 10:42am</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Toronto Raptors forwards RJ Barrett (31 points) and Scottie Barnes led in a 110-105 win against the Minnesota Timberwolves Thursday night. With another impressive performance, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/raptors-news-rj-barrett-enters-vince-carter-territory-after-monster-game-vs-timberwolves">Barrett entered Raptors’ Vince Carter territory</a>. He also had Barnes, who finished with 17 points and six assists, back in the lineup. Toronto won its second win in three tries. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/raptors-news-scottie-barnes-injury-update-nikola-jokic-elbow">Barnes missed eleven games with an orbital fracture</a>; having him back made all the difference.</p><p>After the win, Barrett <a href="https://x.com/JLew1050/status/1859802257887461385" rel="noopener">discussed</a> having Barnes back into the fold, per TSN Sports’ Michael Grange.</p><p>“Scottie Barnes. Man, that was fun… He’s a special player.”</p><p>Barnes’ presence alone relieves some of Barrett’s defensive pressure, which he undoubtedly <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3OSlaNNldc" rel="noopener">appreciated</a> after eleven games without it. It also alleviates pressure for RJ and the rest of his Raptor teammates as he explained.</p><p>“He made it easier for sure. I was just kind of out there chillin, waiting around, trying to find where I can make a play,” Barrett added. “But Scottie’s just, like I said, he’s a very special player, and when you have a guy like that out there, it makes everybody’s job easier.”</p><h2><b>RJ Barrett makes Raptors franchise history, joining Vince Carter</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Raptors-forward-RJ-Barrett.jpg"><figcaption>Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Perhaps having <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sources-raptors-scottie-barnes-cleared-practice-injury-timeline-uncertainty">Scottie Barnes back from injury made a difference</a> for Raptors forward RJ Barrett, but he’s been on a tear lately and made franchise history. Barrett joined Vince Carter (2000-01), Chris Bosh (2008-09), DeMar DeRozan (2016-17), and Pascal Siakam (2019-20) in the franchise history books. He became just <a href="https://x.com/SNstats/status/1859798180508074174" rel="noopener">the fifth player</a> in Raptors franchise history to tally five or more 30+ point performances through the first 13 games of the regular season, according to Sportsnet Stats’ X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>It was great for Barnes to be back on the floor and rejoin his teammates after missing the past three weeks.</p><p>“These guys play hard. They’ve been playing really hard, locking into the game plan. So, we’re just doing the right things every single day,” Barnes said. “Out there, we put in the hard effort. We work together collectively to try to get this dub. Our bench did great.”</p><p>Barnes finished with 17 points on 5-of-11 attempts, 2-of-5 from deep, six assists, three rebounds, and one steal. He and Barrett led four Raptors who scored in double figures, including Jacob Poeltl, who supplied a double-double performance (15 points, 12 rebounds). Chris Boucher, who led the second unit, scored 22 points, four rebounds, two steals, and one block.</p><p>Barrett, Barnes, and the rest of the Raptors’ next game is against the Cavaliers on Sunday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Raptors’ RJ Barrett gets 100% real about Scottie Barnes’ return

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/raptors-news-rj-barrett-enters-vince-carter-territory-after-monster-game-vs-timberwolves');   ga('set', 'title', 'Raptors’ RJ Barrett enters Vince Carter territory after monster game vs. Timberwolves');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/RJ-Barrett-enters-Vince-Carter-territory-after-monster-game-vs-Timberwolves.jpg"></figure><h1>Raptors’ RJ Barrett enters Vince Carter territory after monster game vs. Timberwolves</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-21T21:05:07-08:00">November 21st, 9:05pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-21T21:34:53-08:00">November 21st, 9:34pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Toronto Raptors have experienced injury woes of their own to begin the 2024-25 season; most notably, Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/raptors-news-is-scottie-barnes-playing-vs-timberwolves-latest-injury-update">have missed plenty of games</a>. In turn, RJ Barrett has been thrust into a larger role — and he has been delivering monster stat lines on a regular basis. On Thursday night, Barrett put up 31 points on an excellent 10-14 shooting from the field to lead the way for the Raptors in a huge 110-105 win over the Timberwolves.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/raptors-news-darko-rajakovic-rj-barrett-demand-loss-lakers">Raptors have asked Barrett</a> to take on a larger, do-it-all role and he is proving capable of shouldering the heavy burden. It’s not an easy thing to put up an efficient 30-spot against a Timberwolves squad with plenty of good defenders, but Barrett managed to do so, and in so doing, he’s slowly establishing himself as one of the most explosive scorers in franchise history.</p><p>According to Sportsnet Stats on X (formerly known as Twitter), Barrett <a href="https://x.com/SNstats/status/1859798180508074174" rel="noopener">became just the fifth player</a> in Raptors franchise history to tally five or more 30-point games through the first 13 games played in the season. He joined four of the greatest players in franchise history, with Vince Carter (2000-01), Chris Bosh (2008-09), DeMar DeRozan (2016-17), and Pascal Siakam (2019-20) also accomplishing the feat.</p><p>It’s a testament to how strong of a start Barrett is having to his first full season with the Raptors that he already finds himself among some of the most decorated players to ever suit up for the team. And even with Barnes returning from injury, Barrett appears to be seizing the controls of the team’s offense — which could lead to plenty of huge scoring nights moving forward.</p><p>Barrett has been in the league for six years that it’s easy to forget that he’s only 24 years old, and the Raptors definitely have a quality piece to build around as they look to return to contending ways in the immediate future.</p><h2>RJ Barrett is on a hot streak for the Raptors</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Raptors-forward-RJ-Barrett-9-drives-to-the-basket.jpg"></figure><p>One of the major problems that RJ Barrett encountered when he was with the New York Knicks was that he was an inefficient volume scorer. But with the Raptors, Barrett appears to be figuring it out, especially as of late.</p><p>Over his past two games, Barrett is averaging 35 points on on 65.7 percent shooting from the field while leading the Raptors to two victories against two teams that made the playoffs last year (Indiana Pacers and Timberwolves). And perhaps the return of Scottie Barnes allows him to be more efficient on a game-to-game basis, as he won’t be drawing as much defensive attention anymore.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Raptors’ RJ Barrett enters Vince Carter territory after monster game vs. Timberwolves

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/raptors-news-rj-barrett-shares-game-of-thrones-moment-with-jaime-lannister-actor-at-lakers-game');   ga('set', 'title', 'Raptors news: RJ Barrett shares ‘Game of Thrones’ moment with Jaime Lannister actor at Lakers game');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Raptors-news-RJ-Barrett-shares-Game-of-Thrones-moment-with-Jaime-Lannister-actor-at-Lakers-game.jpg"></figure><h1>Raptors news: RJ Barrett shares ‘Game of Thrones’ moment with Jaime Lannister actor at Lakers game</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-12T08:00:54-08:00">November 12th, 8:00am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-12T08:00:54-08:00">November 12th, 8:00am</time><address><a href="http://designsux.com">Burtland Dixon</a>As an avid enthusiast of entertainment, Burtland Dixon is a passionate individual who revels in the magic of movies, sports, music, and pop culture. Whether it's catching the latest blockbuster, watching the marquee matchup of the week, attending live concerts, or getting immersed in the world of gaming, Burtland finds joy in all forms of entertainment.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Entertainment</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Sunday night in Los Angeles saw a star-studded clash between the Toronto Raptors and the L.A. Lakers, but it wasn’t just the basketball action that stole the show. Raptors star <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/raptors-news-darko-rajakovic-rj-barrett-demand-loss-lakers">RJ Barrett</a>, fresh off an impressive season start, took a moment to celebrate with the crowd after a successful three-point play. His spontaneous reaction quickly turned into an unforgettable encounter when he realized he was <a href="https://uproxx.com/dimemag/rj-barrett-jamie-lannister-courtside-reaction-lakers-raptors-game-of-thrones/" rel="noopener">directing his enthusiasm towards Nikolaj Coster-Waldau</a>, the actor famous for portraying Jaime Lannister on Game of Thrones, Uproxx reports. Coster-Waldau’s attendance in the crowd added a Hollywood sparkle to the game, a reminder that Lakers games are known for celebrity sightings. Surprised, Barrett did a double-take, his excitement barely contained as he mouthed “Game of Thrones?” at the actor, clearly taken aback by the chance to share the moment with a TV legend.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/DCPLHaROCJL/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading"><div style="padding: 16px;"><p> </p><div style="display: flex;"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div><div style="display: flex;"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div><div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"><div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div><div style="display: flex; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div><div></div><div></div><div></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div><div></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"><div></div><div></div><div></div></div></div><div style="display: flex; margin-bottom: 24px;"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div><p> </p><p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DCPLHaROCJL/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" rel="noopener" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Dime (@dimemagazine)</a></p></div></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><p>Barrett’s reaction reflects a relatable, human side of pro athletes—showing that even NBA stars can feel a thrill when face-to-face with celebrities they admire. With regulars like Jack Nicholson and Denzel Washington frequently present at Lakers games, the courtside seats in Los Angeles often transform into a who’s-who of Hollywood. Yet Coster-Waldau, who’s not as constant a courtside fixture, likely wasn’t expecting such an interaction from one of the game’s stars, adding to the excitement of the night.</p><h2>Barrett’s Transformation on the Court</h2><p>While Barrett’s celebrity encounter made for a fun moment, his performance on the court is generating serious buzz. The Raptors guard has been delivering eye-catching numbers, seemingly stepping into a larger role with grace and determination. Injuries to teammates Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley have thrust Barrett into the spotlight, and he’s responded by becoming a primary playmaker, demonstrating growth that feels both surprising and promising for Toronto fans. After a recent standout game, where he notched a career-high 12 assists, Barrett’s emerging skillset has him ranking among the NBA’s best in usage and assist rates. His awareness and decision-making on the court have taken a leap forward, making him a focal point for the Raptors’ future potential.</p><p>RJ Barrett’s development as a floor general marks a big shift from his prior role, where he operated more as a supporting scorer than a lead playmaker. This season, he’s routinely reading defenses with precision, running pick-and-rolls, and keeping his teammates involved at a rate that outpaces his earlier performances. His newfound passing abilities and high assist averages showcase a maturity that was previously missing from his game. If he can sustain this level of play even as Quickley and Barnes return, Barrett might just establish himself as an All-Star contender. In an otherwise challenging season for Toronto, his evolution provides a bright spot—one that could signal a seismic shift for the Raptors if he continues elevating his play.</p><p>Barrett’s encounter with Coster-Waldau might have been a playful distraction, but his growth on the court promises lasting impact for the Raptors, potentially positioning him as the player they’ve been waiting for.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Raptors news: RJ Barrett shares ‘Game of Thrones’ moment with Jaime Lannister actor at Lakers game

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/raptors-news-darko-rajakovic-rj-barrett-demand-loss-lakers');   ga('set', 'title', 'Raptors’ Darko Rajakovic issues RJ Barrett demand after loss vs. Lakers');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/0Darko-Rajakovic-issues-RJ-Barrett-demand-after-loss-vs.-Lakers0.jpg"></figure><h1>Raptors’ Darko Rajakovic issues RJ Barrett demand after loss vs. Lakers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-02T07:55:01-07:00">November 2nd, 7:55am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-02T15:08:00-07:00">November 2nd, 3:08pm</time><address><a>Preston Byers</a>Preston Byers is an experienced writer and journalist who currently serves as an associate editor for ClutchPoints and as a staff writer at The Vindicator and Tribune Chronicle, where he covers sports in the Mahoning Valley. Previously, Preston worked as an associate editor for Dot Esports and a site expert for FanSided's Union and Blue.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Toronto Raptors’ rally fell short Friday night in a 131-125 home loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, but there were some positives to take away from the team’s fifth loss of the season, including a double-double by RJ Barrett, which was a step in the right direction according to<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/raptors-news-rj-barrett-draws-major-darko-rajakovic-praise-blockbuster-trade-knicks"> Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic</a>.</p><p>After trailing by as many as 26 points, Barrett and second-year player Gradey Dick led the team back to within a few possessions in the narrow loss.</p><p>Barrett, in particular, had one of the best games of his career, as he recorded a season-high 33 points and career-high 12 assists. Barrett, the third-overall draft pick in 2019, had never reached double-digit assists in his six seasons in the NBA.</p><p>Following the loss, Rajakovic <a href="https://x.com/StarSports/status/1852540324502966358" rel="noopener">said he wants</a> Barrett to continue to focus on utilizing his playmaking ability.</p><p>“First of all, I think that RJ’s very capable; I think he needs to do even more,” Rajakovic said. “He needs to play-make for our team and create offense for our team. And we need more from him on the defensive end as well.</p><p>“I’m talking to RJ every day; I’m a big RJ believer. I believe in him, and I’m every single day calling him for more. And he tonight did a really good job moving the ball.”</p><h2><b>Raptors’ RJ Barrett off to hot start for the 2024-25 NBA season</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Raptors-RJ-Barrett.jpg"><figcaption>Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Although we are still very, very early in the season, it appears as though Barrett has approached his first full season with the Raptors differently. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/raptors-news-rj-barrett-reveals-immediate-reaction-trade-knicks-toronto">Traded midseason by the New York Knicks</a> to his hometown Raptors, Barrett increased his scoring output and efficiency after the trade last season, and a few games into this season, his numbers have increased again.</p><p>In his 32 games as a Raptor last season, Barrett averaged 21.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 4.1 assists on shooting splits of .553 FG / .392 3P / .629 FT. Three games into this season — Barrett missed the first three games of the year <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/raptors-news-rj-barrett-worrisome-injury-update-before-season">due to a shoulder injury</a> — he is averaging 28.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 7.7 assists on shooting splits of .541 FG / .529 3P / .643 FT.</p><p>Of course, his three-point shooting is unsustainable, but even with regression to his career 35% three-point shooting, he is setting himself up nicely for a strong season.</p><p>A college teammate of No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson, Barrett was drafted by the Knicks in 2019 with the hope he would become the superstar New York had been waiting for. However, Barrett never rose to All-Star or All-NBA status despite averaging 18 points per game as the team rebuilt.</p><p>Around the beginning of the calendar year, the Knicks traded Barrett along with Immanuel Quickley in order to acquire OG Anunoby and Precious Achiuwa. And now, Barrett finds himself back in a rebuilding situation, as Toronto, which went 25-57 a year ago, is again expected to be one of the NBA’s worst teams, especially after the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/raptors-news-scottie-barnes-injury-update-nikola-jokic-elbow">recent injury to Scottie Barnes</a>.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Raptors’ Darko Rajakovic issues RJ Barrett demand after loss vs. Lakers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/raptors-news-rj-barrett-worrisome-injury-update-before-season');   ga('set', 'title', 'Raptors’ RJ Barrett dealt worrisome injury update before start of season');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Raptors-news-RJ-Barrett-dealt-worrisome-injury-update-before-start-of-season.jpg"></figure><h1>Raptors’ RJ Barrett dealt worrisome injury update before start of season</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-08T10:27:28-07:00">October 8th, 10:27am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-08T10:44:42-07:00">October 8th, 10:44am</time><address><a>Brett Siegel</a>Brett Siegel joined ClutchPoints as a credentialed NBA insider and reporter in May 2023 after previously covering the NBA for Fastbreak on FanNation and NBA Analysis Network, as well as working with Louisville Basketball. From playing to coaching to covering the game as a media member, Brett has been involved with the game of basketball from many different perspectives. Breaking the news of various free agent signings, yearly NBA Draft news and other key stories around the league, Brett is always on the phone, getting the latest news and rumors around the NBA. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @BrettSiegelNBA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Toronto Raptors swingman RJ Barrett sustained a <a href="https://x.com/BrettSiegelNBA/status/1843703046850916552" rel="noopener">sprain to the right acromioclavicular joint</a> late in the second quarter of the team’s preseason game against the Washington Wizards on Sunday and will miss the remainder of the preseason, the team announced on Tuesday.</p><p>Barrett, 24, was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/grading-og-anunoby-rj-barrett-immanuel-quickley-knicks-raptors-trade">traded from the New York Knicks to the Raptors last season</a> in a deal involving OG Anunoby before the trade deadline. The Toronto native played in 32 games for the Raptors, averaging 21.8 points and 6.4 rebounds per game while shooting 55.3 percent from the floor and 39.3 percent from three-point range.</p><p>There is hope internally that Barrett can be this franchise’s next All-Star talent on the wing. Unfortunately, he may miss the start of the 2024-25 season with this AC joint injury.</p><p>At this time, the Raptors have not given a firm timeframe for Barrett’s latest injury other than the fact that he will miss the remainder of the preseason. Based on previous data regarding AC joint injuries to NBA players, the minimum time for recovery is normally at least two weeks. Then again, some players with more severe sprains have missed six to eight weeks.</p><p>The extent of Barrett’s injury has not been revealed, and the Raptors say further updates on the rising star’s status will be given as appropriate.</p><h2><b>RJ Barrett’s injury adds questions to Raptors future</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/RJ_Barrett_throws_it_down.jpg"><figcaption>John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>The Raptors finished the 2023-24 season with a 25-57 record. This was the franchise’s worst record since winning only 23 games during the 2011-12 season.</p><p>Since winning their only championship with Kawhi Leonard in 2019, the Raptors have not found a whole lot of success. Scottie Barnes has been a bright spot as a rising star in the Eastern Conference, yet the team as a whole is clearly rebuilding. This is a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/raptors-news-masai-ujiri-makes-rebuilding-admission-2024-25-season">notion that Masai Ujiri discussed at length</a> at the start of training camp.</p><p>“I would use the word rebuilding, that’s the right word, I think we have a clear path now going forward,” Ujiri stated. “Young team, growing team, I think we set a path, went into the draft last year, got a couple of young players, and wanting to continue to grow and build this team around Scottie who is just 23 years old, so just want to continue to grow as a team. In sports you always want to be competitive and you play to win, but it is a rebuilding team, I think everybody sees that.”</p><p>Aside from Barnes, who the organization gave a five-year, $225 million extension to this summer, the Raptors also have Immanuel Quickley at the point guard position. Quickley, who came over in the same trade as Barrett last season, earned himself a five-year, $175 million contract this offseason.</p><p>Now that Quickley and Barnes are under contract as long-term building blocks in Toronto, the next line of questions points in Barrett’s direction. While he still has three years left on his current contract, including the 2024-25 season, Barrett has yet to fully take that next step in his career.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/raptors-news-masai-ujiri-rj-barretts-potential-shade-knicks">Barrett is a terrific player and has shown flashes of his brilliance</a> on the court. Ultimately, he just still needs time in order to fully embrace playing next to Barnes and Quickley in Toronto. Should he be forced to miss time at the start of the season due to this new shoulder injury, then the growth of both Barrett and the Raptors will be put on hold for the time being.</p><p>Further updates on Barrett and his recovery from this new injury will be given closer to the start of the regular season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Raptors’ RJ Barrett dealt worrisome injury update before start of season

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/raptors-news-rj-barrett-eye-opening-admission-scottie-barnes-leadership');   ga('set', 'title', 'RJ Barrett’s eye-opening admission on Scottie Barnes leadership');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Raptors-news-RJ-Barretts-eye-opening-admission-on-Scottie-Barnes-leadership.jpg"></figure><h1>RJ Barrett’s eye-opening admission on Scottie Barnes leadership</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-05T16:24:07-07:00">October 5th, 4:24pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-05T16:24:07-07:00">October 5th, 4:24pm</time><address><a>Matt De Lima</a>Matt De Lima is an Associate Editor for NFL and college football at ClutchPoints. He has been covering sports for over 12 years at sites like Sports Illustrated, The Game Day, and countless others. Born and raised in California, he is a graduate of Virginia Tech and a diehard Hokies fan who now resides in southern Maryland.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Now entering his fourth NBA season, Toronto Raptors star Scottie Barnes is looking to improve on the team’s 12th-place finish in the Eastern Conference last year. The 2021-22 NBA Rookie of the Year got a taste of the playoffs in his first season but has not returned. RJ Barrett, who came to Toronto via midseason trade from the New York Knicks, fully recognizes Barnes’ caliber, per TSN’s Kayla Grey.</p><p>“He’s probably the most unselfish superstar [I’ve probably ever seen]… It’s great. It just kinda sets the tone for everybody else.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"He's probably the most unselfish superstar [I've probably ever seen]… It's great. It just kinda sets the tone for everybody else."</p><p>RJ Barrett on Scottie Barnes' growth as a leader 🙌</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/theshift_sports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@theshift_sports</a>)<a href="https://t.co/g7tEAgIFKb">pic.twitter.com/g7tEAgIFKb</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1842677178116251715?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>However, during the Raptors’ media day, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/raptors-news-fans-torn-after-jakob-poeltl-surprise-tanking-admission" rel="noopener">Jakob Poeltl admitted the team would probably be tanking</a> and <a href="https://x.com/ogchabzo/status/1840784094273405335" rel="noopener">ruffled some feathers in the process</a>.</p><p>“I think we all know we’re not going to go and attack the championship this year,” Poetlt said. “It makes no sense for us to try to win every single game as much as we can and sacrifice development.”</p><p>With all the talk about the quality of prospects like <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/bold-cooper-flagg-led-2025-draft-class-take-nba">Cooper Flagg and Ace Bailey from the 2025 NBA Draft</a>, it’s possible many teams share this tanking sentiment.</p><h2><b>Expectations of Barnes, Barrett, Raptors in the 2024-25 season</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Raptors-Scottie-Barnes-dunking-it.jpg"><figcaption>© Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Longtime team president Masai Ujiri acknowledged the Raptors are young and rebuilding, per SportsNet.</p><p>“I would use the word rebuilding, that’s the right word, I think we have a clear path now going forward,” Ujiri said. “Young team, growing team, I think we set a path, went into the draft last year, got a couple of young players, and wanting to continue to grow and build this team around Scottie who is just 23 years old, so just want to continue to grow as a team. In sports you always want to be competitive and you play to win, but it is a rebuilding team, I think everybody sees that.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"I would use the word rebuilding."</p><p>Masai Ujiri on how he would describe the expectations for the Raptors this upcoming season. <a href="https://t.co/yi8miYQbhz">pic.twitter.com/yi8miYQbhz</a></p><p>— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) <a href="https://twitter.com/Sportsnet/status/1840752510132174875?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>When asked about his role on the Raptors, Barnes seemed to understand the assignment, per Luca Rosano of Raptors Nation.</p><p>“Just trying to step into that next role of growing into that leader. You gotta just take steps and I feel like I’ve been taking the right steps this summer,” Barnes said. “I’m usually accustomed to being that leader by example. I go out there and play hard.”</p><p>The Raptors begin their preseason on Sunday, October 6, at 7:30 p.m. EST against the Washington Wizards.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

RJ Barrett’s eye-opening admission on Scottie Barnes leadership

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/raptors-news-rj-barrett-playing-status-update-76ers-game');   ga('set', 'title', 'Raptors guard RJ Barrett playing status update for 76ers game');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/raptors-news-rj-barrett-playing-status-update-for-76ers-game.jpg"></figure><h1>Raptors guard RJ Barrett playing status update for 76ers game</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-03-30T13:04:56-07:00">March 30th, 1:04pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-03-30T13:04:56-07:00">March 30th, 1:04pm</time><address><a>Joshua Valdez</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Toronto Raptors (23-50) guard RJ Barrett has been out for nearly three weeks following the tragic death of his brother Nathan. The untimely tragedy interrupted another solid season for the Canadian veteran, as he’s second on the team with 19.5 points per game.</p><p>However, it looks like <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/raptors-news-rj-barrett-breaks-silence-tragic-passing-brother">Barrett will return</a> to the court soon. The Duke alum has been getting his conditioning back up to speed after temporarily stepping away from basketball. He’s now <a href="https://ak-static.cms.nba.com/referee/injury/Injury-Report_2024-03-30_01PM.pdf" rel="noopener">been named questionable</a> to play Sunday against the Philadelphia 76ers after missing the last eight contests, via the NBA injury report.</p><h2><b>How will this affect Barrett and the Raptors?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Raptors-RJ-Barrett.jpg"><figcaption>Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Toronto has been floundering, as the squad is just 1-13 in the month of March. The Raptors have also lost 12 straight games, and have been eliminated from playoff contention. Therefore, the organization has nothing to play for for the nine remaining contests this season.</p><p>However, these games could be the most important of Barrett’s career, should he decide to play. Rather than spiralling down a bottomless hole of grief and pain, basketball could help<a href="https://theathletic.com/5378050/2024/03/30/rj-barrett-brother-raptors-nba/" rel="noopener"> the 23-year-old cope</a>, via Eric Koreen of the Athletic.</p><p>“It helps me every day to be here and also just be on a schedule and just be around the guys. Hanging out with your teammates, it’s funny,” Barrett said on Saturday. “They’re funny. You get to hang out with them, you get to go practice and even support the guys when I’m not playing. Whatever it is, just being around has been helping a lot.”</p><p>This gives these upcoming games more meaning than normal for a losing team at this point in the season. It’s bigger than basketball, and with Barrett already being in his native country of Canada, the Raptors’ locker room might be the exact sanctuary that he needs.</p><p>Barrett also mentioned that his brother would want him to continue to play and enjoy his life.</p><p>“I’ve had some people in my life pass, but I think this one hit a little harder for me. Yeah, this one is definitely a little different, so it’s a lot tougher,” Barrett continued. “I just think that I’ve gotta push forward every day, gotta be able to try to figure it out. Because, also, if I know my brother, he would want me to be here, to be playing, to try to continue to make the Barrett legacy grow.”</p><p>While their locker room chemistry hasn’t translated to wins this year, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/raptors-news-torontos-touching-gesture-after-heartbreaking-passing-of-rj-barretts-younger-brother">Raptors clearly know</a> how to emotionally supports their players. That was evidenced by the team’s pre-game moment of silence in their home tilt against the Orlando Magic on March 15th. The entire organization was also present for Nathan’s funeral.</p><p>“I did not have a chance to meet Nathan prior, but just hearing all the stories about him, after leaving the funeral, I felt that I knew that he was an amazing young man,” Raptors head coach Darko Rajaković said. “Amazing family, very tight, very supportive of each other. Just a great example for a lot of us just how we need to treat family members and how close we need to be.”</p><p>Going forward, this tragic event might help Toronto stay tight-knit. With fellow guard Immanuel Quickley and small forward Scottie Barnes, the Raptors have decent building blocks to compliment Barrett beyond this season. With the new-look roster establishing such a family-oriented type of culture, this will only help them improve as a unit long-term.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Raptors guard RJ Barrett playing status update for 76ers game

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/raptors-news-rj-barrett-breaks-silence-tragic-passing-brother');   ga('set', 'title', 'Raptors’ RJ Barrett breaks silence on tragic passing of brother');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/raptors-news-rj-barrett-opens-up-on-tragic-passing-of-brother.jpg"></figure><h1>Raptors’ RJ Barrett breaks silence on tragic passing of brother</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-03-29T12:23:07-07:00">March 29th, 12:23pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-03-29T14:26:17-07:00">March 29th, 2:26pm</time><address><a>Alex House</a>Alex House is a sports journalist who covers the NFL, NBA, and MLB for ClutchPoints. He grew up in a New York sports-heavy region in Connecticut and earned his journalism degree at the University of Rhode Island. His in-depth knowledge of two of the most passionate and raucous fan bases in the country gives him a truly unique writing voice.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/raptors-news-rj-barrett-out-vs-magic-friday-dueto-tragic-passing-of-younger-brother">has been more than two weeks</a> since the tragic passing of RJ Barrett’s younger brother Nathan, and the Toronto Raptors player is now ready to <a href="https://twitter.com/LindsayDunnTV/status/1773750452326150284" rel="noopener">address the media</a>. The pain on his face was visible, as he tries to find the strength to move forward in life and on the court following this loss.</p><p>“I’ve had some people in my life pass, but this one hit a little harder for me,” Barrett said, per Lindsay Dunn of CityNews Toronto and Sportsnet. “It’s a lot tougher, and I just think that you have to push forward every day. {You’ve} got to be able to try to figure it out, because if I know my brother, he would want me to be here playing, try to just continue to make the Barrett legacy grow.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">An emotional RJ Barrett spoke to the media today for the first time since the passing of his younger brother Nathan on March 12th: <a href="https://t.co/D49eKuYXUc">pic.twitter.com/D49eKuYXUc</a></p><p>— Lindsay Dunn (@LindsayDunnTV) <a href="https://twitter.com/LindsayDunnTV/status/1773750452326150284?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 29, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The 23-year-old out of Duke took a leave of absence following the devastating passing of his 19-year-old brother. Nathan had become ill in the weeks prior. RJ Barrett missed the Raptors’ last eight games but returned to the team earlier in the week. While it is not currently known when he will officially take the court again, Sunday’s home matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers is certainly plausible.</p><p>The organization is not going to push him, though. One of the major reasons why Barrett– a Toronto native– was excited to play for the Raptors is because of the value he places on family. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/raptors-news-torontos-touching-gesture-after-heartbreaking-passing-of-rj-barretts-younger-brother">Navigating this heartbreak</a> while trying to be there for his struggling team is unimaginably difficult.</p><h2><b>Basketball might hold a new meaning for Raptors’ RJ Barrett</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/RJ_Barrett_throws_it_down.jpg"><figcaption>John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>The No. 3 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft is displaying great bravery by publicly speaking on Nathan Barrett. Basketball is ostensibly a way for him to feel connected to his brother, hence his personal obligation to “grow the family legacy.”</p><p>Nathan followed in RJ’s footsteps and played basketball at Florida’s Montverde Academy. That wasn’t his only passion, though, as he was studying to become a pilot. He had lofty ambitions that now painfully go unrealized. RJ Barrett is determined to honor him in any way he can.</p><p>His journey with the Raptors will likely carry a different meaning from this point on. Despite Toronto’s 23-50 record, Barrett is arguably playing the best basketball of his career.</p><p>He has been highly efficient <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/raptors-news-rj-barrett-reveals-immediate-reaction-trade-knicks-toronto">since being traded</a> from the New York Knicks at the end of 2023, tallying 20.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists per night while shooting 55.3 percent from the field and a whopping 41.7 percent from 3-point land. Although his contract is costly (four-years, $107 million), RJ Barrett is doing everything in his power to show that he can be a valuable part of this franchise’s long-term future.</p><p>But for now, both he and the Raptors are focused on ending this season with some positivity. They are currently in the midst of a 12-game losing streak and were just officially eliminated from NBA Play-In contention. Regardless of how the year wraps up, Barrett will lean on his teammates, and his love for the game, during this time of mourning.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Raptors’ RJ Barrett breaks silence on tragic passing of brother

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/raptors-news-torontos-touching-gesture-after-heartbreaking-passing-of-rj-barretts-younger-brother');   ga('set', 'title', 'Raptors touching gesture after heartbreaking passing of RJ Barrett’s younger brother');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Raptors-news-Toronto_s-touching-gesture-after-heartbreaking-passing-of-RJ-Barrett_s-younger-brother.jpg"></figure><h1>Raptors touching gesture after heartbreaking passing of RJ Barrett’s younger brother</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-03-15T17:55:03-07:00">March 15th, 5:55pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-03-15T17:55:03-07:00">March 15th, 5:55pm</time><address><a>David Yapkowitz</a>David is an NBA Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He is based in Los Angeles and currently covers basketball at every level from NBA/WNBA to men/women college and boys/girls high school.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Other</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/raptors-news-rj-barrett-out-vs-magic-friday-dueto-tragic-passing-of-younger-brother" rel="noopener">Tragedy struck</a> the Raptors organization this week with the passing of RJ Barrett’s younger brother, Nathan. At this time, details of his death have not been disclosed, only that he passed away on Tuesday of this past week. Barrett. The Raptors had a game on Friday against the Orlando Magic at home, and prior to tip-off, the team observed a <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1768786398964777017" rel="noopener">moment of silence</a> to honor Nathan.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">The Raptors held a moment of silence for the passing of RJ Barrett's brother Nathan before the game against the Magic 🙌<a href="https://t.co/4Oykg64A34">pic.twitter.com/4Oykg64A34</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1768786398964777017?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>RJ Barrett did not play in the Raptors loss to the Pistons on Wednesday following the death of Nathan and he was ruled out for the team’s game against the Magic on Friday. A native of Canada, Barrett was traded to the Raptors in late December in a deal that sent OG Anunoby to the New York Knicks.</p><p>Barrett was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, Barrett was part of a highly-touted trio at Duke that included Zion Williamson and Cam Reddish. Barrett played four seasons for the Knicks prior to this year. He joins Kelly Olynyk and Chris Boucher as a trio of hometown guys on the Raptors roster this season. It’s not clear how long Barrett will be away from the team.</p><p>Barrett’s brother Nathan was a basketball player as well. He played high school basketball at Montverde Academy like his older brother although he was currently studying to be a pilot rather than follow in his older brother’s footsteps of becoming a professional basketball player.</p><p>Barrett is currently in the midst of a four-year contract extension he signed with the Knicks in 2022. He has three more seasons left on that deal.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Raptors touching gesture after heartbreaking passing of RJ Barrett’s younger brother

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/raptors-news-rj-barrett-out-vs-magic-friday-dueto-tragic-passing-of-younger-brother');   ga('set', 'title', 'Raptors’ RJ Barrett out vs. Magic on Friday due to tragic passing of younger brother');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/raptors-news-rj-barrett-out-vs-magic-on-friday-due-to-tragic-passing-of-younger-brother.jpg"></figure><h1>Raptors’ RJ Barrett out vs. Magic on Friday due to tragic passing of younger brother</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-03-14T18:34:43-07:00">March 14th, 6:34pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-03-14T18:34:43-07:00">March 14th, 6:34pm</time><address><a href="https://nextmanupblog.medium.com/">Jay Postrado</a>Jay is a lifelong motorsports and tennis fan. His need for speed may no longer be on the grid or courts but has stayed with him through writing.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Life is bigger than basketball. Often, action on the court overtakes all the other things outside of it. But, the ball will not always keep bouncing and players will need time to absorb what’s happening around them. RJ Barrett will have to take some time off to grieve the passing of his brother, Nathan Barrett. This also means that the Toronto Raptors will not see him in action when they face the Paolo Banchero-led Orlando Magic.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/knicks-news-josh-hart-admits-rj-barrett-left-him-hanging-after-lovely-text-following-trade" rel="noopener">RJ Barrett was immediately</a> ruled out for the Magic game after the news broke. Chris Stewart, the Raptors player’s former coach and someone close to Nathan Barrett, was the one who released the unfortunate information to the public through <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C4gFMTHM6rT/?img_index=1" rel="noopener">an Instagram post.</a></p><p>“On March 12 my extended Monarch’s family lost another member @thenathanbarrett. It’s hard to believe this is the second time this has happened to my family &amp; basketball community. Nathan was only with us for a short time in grade 7 before he moved to Florida but whenever he was back in Mississauga the boys connected,” Stewart wrote.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/raptors-young-players-fans-must-focus-on-for-rest-of-2023-24-nba-season" rel="noopener">The Raptors up-and-coming star</a> is an inspiration for his younger brother. Nathan was also trying to make it into the NBA as he got closer to his dreams with Montverde Academy. During that journey, he surely touched a lot of hearts just like Coach Stewart.</p><p>“If you have had the pleasure of knowing this family you know how much they do for the basketball community so keep them in your thoughts and prayers. No parent should ever have to bury a child, hug your kids today a little longer. You will be missed Nathan, RIP,” he concluded.</p><h2>Barrett’s season with the Raptors so far</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Toronto-Raptors-guard-RJ-Barrett-9-controls-the-ball-as-Denver-Nuggets-forward-Peyton-Watson-8.jpg"><figcaption>© Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>RJ was not present when the Raptors faced the Detroit Pistons. He was out of the game due to personal reasons. This missed game against the Magic and Paolo Banchero marks his second straight absence. He will be given enough time to grieve and recover from this gut-wrenching loss.</p><p>Moreover, postseason hopes are getting shut down for the Raptors. Their NBA Trade Deadline moves have not netted them a lot of entries in the win column which leaves them at 12th in the Eastern Conference standings. They have also lost seven out of their last 10 games. All signs point to starting to figure out how they can be better next season while preserving their players in the last 16 games.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Raptors’ RJ Barrett out vs. Magic on Friday due to tragic passing of younger brother

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/knicks-news-josh-hart-admits-rj-barrett-left-him-hanging-after-lovely-text-following-trade');   ga('set', 'title', 'Knicks’ Josh Hart admits RJ Barrett left him hanging after his ‘lovely text’ following trade');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Knicks_news_Josh_Hart_admits_RJ_Barrett_left_him_hanging_after_his__lovely_text__following_trade.webp"></figure><h1>Knicks’ Josh Hart admits RJ Barrett left him hanging after his ‘lovely text’ following trade</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-02-08T18:16:08-08:00">February 8th, 6:16pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-02-08T18:16:08-08:00">February 8th, 6:16pm</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University senior from Atlanta on track to graduate with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Josh Hart and the New York Knicks are looking to make a big push for the playoffs, which are slated to begin in just a couple of months. Thursday, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/knicks-news-magic-johnson-drops-nba-finals-prediction-for-new-york-after-trade-deadline-moves" rel="noopener">the Knicks acquired</a> sharpshooters Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks from the Detroit Pistons, supplementing a bench brigade <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/knicks-news-josh-hart-gets-hilariously-honest-viral-breast-milk-tweet" rel="noopener">led by Hart</a>.</p><p>Earlier in the year, the Knicks raised eyebrows by trading away RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for OG Anunoby, but now, Hart is (jokingly) shedding light on why he felt <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFXIvJSxThk" rel="noopener">a bit disrespected</a> by Barrett on his way out of the door.</p><p>Hart took to his recently launched <i>Roommates Show</i> podcast (presented by Playmaker HQ), alongside Knicks teammate Jalen Brunson, to discuss the slight.</p><p>“He didn’t say goodbye to me. They didn’t even text me back and I sent him a lovely text,” said Hart on the episode.</p><p>RJ Barrett developed nicely during his tenure with the Knicks but was never quite able to live up to the immense expectations placed on his shoulders when he was drafted third overall back in 2019. Since acquiring Anunoby, the Knicks have looked like a legitimate threat to make a deep postseason run, although Anunoby is currently out of the lineup with an injury, meaning Hart will see an increased workload in the meantime.</p><p>In any case, it should be noted that Hart appeared to deploy a joking tone when discussing the perceived diss from RJ Barrett, implying that the two are most likely still on good terms as former teammates.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
23.5	6.7	6.1	0.4	0.7

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
23.5	6.7	6.1	0.4	0.7

RJ Barrett news

RJ
Barrett news