The Toronto Raptors are looking to take a 3-2 lead against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
When RJ Barrett was drafted third overall out of Duke by the New York Knicks in 2019, there were some that felt he actually had the most upside in that class. The first overall selection was of course his Duke teammate Zion Williamson, who was one of the most highly touted prospects in recent history, but Barrett’s skill set had many incredibly high on how he could eventually develop at the NBA level. It did not fully come together for Barrett in New York, and he was ultimately traded to the Toronto Raptors where he has been helping lead this new-look group.
Appearing in 57 games this season, Barrett scored 19.3 points per game while knocking down 49.1% of his attempts from the field. The offensive upside was what most scouts pointed to for Barrett coming out of college, as he possessed a versatile skill set on that side of the ball.
The defense was always more of a question, but for him, it’s an area of his game he knew could develop. That has been playing out on the big stage during this opening-round playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, as Barrett has been among those tasked with slowing down the elite offensive backcourt of James Harden and Donovan Mitchell.
Earlier in this series, Barrett admitted that those two are a problem to deal with.
"To be honest, they’re a problem,” he said. “They’re a problem. We gotta go watch the film and figure out how to fix that.”
Cleveland went and acquired Harden from the LA Clippers at the trade deadline, swapping him for Darius Garland in a win-now move. After Toronto fell down 0–2 in the series, Barrett was among those who spoke up and said the team needs to do a better job defensively. He has taken that challenge upon himself in many ways and spoke with reporters ahead of Game 5 about the improvements he has made on that end.
“It’s something I’ve been working on,” he said via Josh Lewenberg of TSN. “I think I could always play defence, but it was about putting it together more consistently... I’m not perfect by any means, but I just think the intention to strive to be better is the key.”
Toronto is an interestingly built team. Unlike other rosters in the playoffs, the Raptors do not have a tier-one level superstar. Scottie Barnes is a very talented all-around player, and Brandon Ingram is a former All-Star who can score at a high level, but neither player is in that exclusive tier of superstars. The same can be said for Barrett. The talent is undeniable, but it hasn’t fully come together the way many felt it could coming out of college. Perhaps this postseason run can be the one that changes that.