RJ Barrett keeps making the Raptors’ decision harder.
Toronto had a rough one against the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the offense never really found its footing. Kawhi Leonard was out with a knee issue, Scottie Barnes and Jakob Poeltl were held scoreless, and the Raptors managed just 38% shooting from the field and 26% from 3-point range.
In a game like that, the scoring had to come from somewhere. Ja’Kobe Walter led the Raptors with 22 points and hit five of the team’s 10 made 3-pointers, while Barrett and Immanuel Quickley were among the few others who gave Toronto any real lift. Rookie Allen Graves also chipped in, leading the bench with 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting.
Barrett has already shown this isn’t a one-off. He was also the Raptors’ second-leading scorer in their 10-point win over the Washington Wizards, finishing with 23 points on 9-for-16 shooting as Toronto went 44-for-101 overall.
That’s the wrinkle for the Raptors now. Barrett was easy to picture as a trade candidate, especially with his expiring salary sitting there as one of the team’s best assets after the front office sent first-round picks to the LA Clippers for Leonard.
On top of that, an extension would be tricky with Leonard, Barnes, Poeltl, and Quickley already eating up most of the cap room. Add in Barrett’s shaky perimeter defense and inconsistent 3-point shot, and the case for moving him was plain enough.
But the first three games have pushed the conversation in another direction. When the Raptors struggle to score, Barrett gives them something they badly need: a player who can get downhill, create his own shot, and still produce efficiently when the rest of the offense goes quiet. Against Minnesota, he was basically Toronto’s offense early on, scoring 11 of the Raptors’ 21 first-quarter points and carrying the load before anyone else could really join him.
Right now, Barrett is the Raptors’ leading scorer at 21 points per game on 51% shooting from the field.
And that’s what makes this so complicated. Leonard is going to miss more games, and Barrett is already making a strong case that Toronto may need him around to keep the offense from stalling in those stretches.
In Other News...
Ja'Kobe Walter Is Giving The Raptors Something They Desperately Need
JaKobe Walters latest turn in the starting lineup gave the Raptors a little of what they have been looking for early this season: a young wing who can stay active at both ends and make the game a little easier around him. Against the Timberwolves, he put up 22 points and added work across the box score, flashing the kind of three-point confidence and defensive energy Toronto can use as it keeps sorting out its rotation.
For a team still trying to define its perimeter identity, Walters rise is more than a nice early-season note. If he keeps building on games like this, he could become a real piece of the Raptors long-term plans, with next summer bringing the next major checkpoint in his future with the club. [Read more 🡒]
Raptors Need More From Collin Murray-Boyles Than Defense
Collin Murray-Boyles is still finding his footing as the Raptors sixth man, and the early returns have been quieter on offense than Toronto would like. Through three games, he has averaged 5.7 points, and in a recent loss to the Timberwolves he finished with just three points while still giving the team a team-high seven rebounds, a reminder that his activity and physicality are already part of the rotation even when the shot isnt falling.
Toronto can live with some growing pains from a young reserve, but it also needs Murray-Boyles to become more than a defensive and rebounding presence if that second unit is going to hold up. JaKobe Walters start in place of Kawhi Leonard offered the other side of the equation, as he led the Raptors with 22 points and looked efficient from beyond the arc, giving the offense the kind of lift Toronto would like to see more often from its bench pieces. [Read more 🡒]