We were LIED TO About RJ Barrett…

We were LIED TO About RJ Barrett…

We were lied to about RJ Barrett because once the Toronto Raptors acquired him from the New York Knicks there were a bunch of Knicks fans flooding our comment sections flooding Raptor spaces and just saying hey enjoy RJ he can’t shoot he doesn’t pass he’s plateaued he doesn’t play defense yada yada yada cuz

Tonight against the Golden State Warriors and honestly his entire tenure with the Toronto Raptors it looks like he is turning a corner he is breaking out for this team and it’s culminated with just a ridiculous per performance tonight against Golden State where RJ came out with 37 points six assists six

Rebounds and only 36 minutes of action did most of his work in the first half remarkably efficient shooting going five of eight from behind the three-point line and we are going to be diving to everything in this game and everything like that but I want to start off by

Saying RJ Barrett holy smokes man this guy was a major major just acquisition for the Toronto r Raptors I mean the Raptors offense has completely turned around we went from 27th before the trade occurred to being fifth since we’ve got Emanuel quickley and RJ Barrett that was the number that was

Floated out on the broadcast so this you know even from the eye test we can see it directly how much free flowing how much more space there is out there on the court with IQ and RJ now implemented in this group it has bolstered our bench even though there are still some holes

That we need to fill I mean having Gary now back healthy in this game at least tonight Dennis shuder coming off the pine bu getting extended run I mean we have a bench we have a scoring sort of Tandem in our front in our back court in the starting lineup obviously Scotty

Barn struggled in this game tonight but he has been electrifying this season and then Pascal cakam is Pascal seak getting buckets and even purle looks rejuvenize just playing out there motivated on the defense event you know positioning is on another level obviously could get a few

More rebounds here and there but I don’t think it’s just on on him in terms of the rebounding woses for the Toronto Raptors at points especially over the past two games but all credit all shout outs like let’s let’s just throw it out there the Scotty Barnes award tonight

Scotty Barnes wasn’t that great in this one so it’s going to RJ Barrett who is just the elite Pinnacle of what we could expect from RJ because he was driving those lanes and somehow someway because it looks unorthodox it looks like you know sometimes he’s ramming into a brick

Wall but he finds a way with not only his strength not only his quick First Step you know that athleticism he has but probably the most elite part of RJ Barrett’s game is his body control because you can have all that you can have the insane sort of uh

Physique even though he’s not crazy in terms of those along those lines but it’s almost a Jimmy Butler ask control of his body when he drives into that lane and at one allows him to obviously finish through contact and get the bucket in but two when you’re not sort

Of flailing all over the court you know fading away from contact being afraid of it then you can take those hits you’re driving straight into traffic and allows RJ Barrett to get a lot of free throws and he’s an awesome three uh free throw shooter tonight RJ Barrett had eight

Free throws in this game went six of eight from the free throw line and continuously because the Toronto Raptors again one of the biggest critiques of Pascal siakam’s game is that he never really gets the easy buckets every sort of shot he sort of makes he works for a

Lot whereas RJ Barrett can just catch it on on the wing explode to that rim and get to the free throw line pretty easily can get right to the basket and have like one little step throw a little pump fake his footwork seems really improved from previous eras we’ve seen of RJ bear

With the New York Knicks I mean he had a couple moments in this one where he’s driving in full speed you know the players are trained to keep RJ Barrett on his right hand so he drives with the right goes in throws up a little pump

Finds a way to get back to the left and finishes right at the basket I mean holy smokes RJ Barrett finishing around the bucket when the Raptors and this is one thing that I’ve noticed over the past four games and the Raptors have been awesome in the past four games since

This trade has occurred even though we lost to the Sacramento Kings a couple days ago but when they’re sort of attacking the rim they are in attack mode when they are trying to get to the basket and then that doesn’t mean not taking any threes because when you’re

Attacking you can make those kickouts and everything like that but when they’re attacking the room and it specifically starts with RJ barck not even just being in more of attack mode but just getting the basketball cuz I down there are some moments over the past four games where RJ can get floated

To the corner a little bit too much and just not have the ball in his hands for an extended period of time when HJ has that basketball in his hands and he is attacking that basket this Raptor team gets unlocked because Scotty’s getting cleaner open threes Pascal’s getting open threes and frankly Pascal’s

Three-point percentages have continued to increase since this trade because he’s getting better looks he’s getting better opportunities and tonight went two three from the three-point line 16 points didn’t need too many shots because again other people were cooking I mean it’s electrifying and the last

Thing cuz I want to I want to talk about everyone in this game but RJ Barrett his passing is is really underrated from day one with the Toronto Raptors obviously watching these games and analyzing our players he is doing a really good job sure every now and then he’s going to

Turn over the basketball driving into traffic like that it will warrant some bad shots and even though he does have a Reliance on his left hand so there is that there are moments where it does look ugly on some RJ Barrett drives but but with that said he is making a lot of

Great decisions out there when the extra Defender there he is firing you know throwing some Fireballs across the court you know two Corner Shooters two players on the open three which lead some more drives lead some more swings I mean he had six assists in this game but it

Could have been a lot more if they included the hockey assist in this one because he’s getting pain touches and then it’s creating plays for others so RJ Barrett shout out to this man show some love to the to the Canadian out there what a what a steal for the

Toronto Raptors there I know that words getting thrown around a lot but a guy that we thought may have been starting to get phased out following this trade seemed like he bounced back in this one that’s obviously the Star boy Gary Trent Jr and I brought it up earlier about how

The bench has looked a lot better for the Toronto Raptors since his trade has gone down but one guy that still hasn’t really come to its own just yet you know consistently has been Gary Trent Jr who is a guy that should be a really important piece to this team given his

Three-point shooting you know how well these spark plugs can be for teams coming off the bench and Gary tonight looked the most engaged I’ve seen him all season and six of 11 from the field two of five from the three-point line so not even the craziest efficiency but had

14 points but looked confident out there on the offensive end and really just was electric on the defensive end he was a spark plug out there and then not really last season but the season prior Gary Trent Jr was sort of making some comments about how you wanted to be a

Dpoy candidate you know be up there in terms of the League’s best on ball Defenders and stuff and and then that has sort of faded away into the background to where Gary has reverted back to being a little bit lethargic you know he’s not horrible by any means but

Not the the player he was a couple seasons ago being locked in on that end of the floor well Gary in this one at least he did a really good job and again Klay Thompson Steph Curry Klay was pretty good I mean if you look at the

Stats in this game I mean Klay Thompson yeah pretty good five to seven from the three-point line 25 points especially in that third one on a big run Curry was completely cold it’s probably the one of the worst Steph Curry games I’ve ever seen you know missing some shots there

Were a lot of tough shots that he had to take but again Steph Curry going 0 for9 from the three-point line that’s that’s a rare occasion so we do have to take that into account but the Toronto Raptors Slaughter the Golden State Warriors in this one so even if Curry

Hit a few more shots the Raptors were taking this win but I thought Gary Tren J did a good job specifically again IQ RJ they’ve been really good on the defensive and starting off but I thought Gary especially coming off the bench did a really good job at just tagging these

Sort of wings that the Golden State Warriors had out there on the court you getting a hand up on Shooters and poking some balls loose and I don’t know how many steals he had in this one uh did did he even have any G TR J he had one

Steel he had a lot of deflections in this game so yeah one block as well really impressed with Gary Trent Jr and then obviously Off the Bench Chris bu is proving why he’s deserved minutes this entire season I mean only 16 minutes in this one as well went seven of seven

From the field three of three from behind the three-point line 17 and nine one assist one steal one block he’s got a little bit of a handle here now too I’m not going to call Chris buet as someone with a bag you know dribbling the basketball but he’s making some

Straight line drives I mean Chris buet is a guy that deserves more minutes and particularly and I I think dark rakovich has done a really good job integrating these new players in lineups making quick substitutions I kind of like that for this team because you know it keeps

People fresh it keeps people engaged keeps people moving but couple CR criticisms on Darko you know from the outside looking in is one I think bu obviously needs more minutes particularly when the Raptors are struggling getting some rebounds bue at the four is an elite rebounder going out

There you know in the front lines to be out there with yaka purle could be big and he space in the floors of late now so you’re not losing that sort of floor spacing that’s one thing I’d say to criticize Darko a little bit give buet

Some more run and then also there’s a few moments as well where Darko could be calling timeouts when other teams are going on runs and I always sort of point to Eric spoler at the Miami Heat you know frustrates other teams because you hit like two shots and automatically

Eric spuler calls the time out I think there are moments especially against a team like Golden State who can get hot in a hurry a couple baskets happen and Darko just a couple possessions late in terms of calling those timeouts so those are my couple criticisms in Darko but I

Mean you know it’s this team is look really good we’re moving that basketball really well attacking the rim doing some right things out there so this team is great and even though Dennis shter is getting a lot of run and shoter was better in the second half hit some tough

Mides you know had a six of a six of 10 from the field 13 points four assists for shooter but uh you know I like that Darko kept him in there when the lead was going because quickly had a great first half didn’t take a lot of shots

Missed a few threes but nine points 10 assists five rebounds only 26 minutes don’t take this as quickly sort of getting benched take this as the Raptors absolutely own the second half of this game and then shooter is playing well trying to get back into a bit of a

Rhythm so quickly wasn’t really needed so it’s uh I just really love what this Raptor team has done I really like how we’re currently constructed the confidence we’re playing with the speed at this game is happening at right now I just love it so let me know what you

Guys think about this Toronto Raptors win big stuff for the squad but you guys the best I’m signing out cheers

The Toronto Raptors just CRUSHED the Golden State Warriors and RJ Barrett had an absolutely dominant performance. Ben Rogers breaks down Toronto’s massive win.

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