RJ Barrett isn’t taking much offense to Carmelo Anthony’s viral comments about him. Earlier this month, Anthony called Barrett a bland player who is not very exciting and added that he can go from 26 points one night to four points in the next. The Toronto Raptors guard was asked about those comments, and he found them to be funny.
“I think it was funny,” Barrett said. “Because the next day I had four points. The game before I had 24, so he was almost right. … He’s a Hall of Famer, man.”
Barrett was referring to when he had 24 points against the Los Angeles Clippers on January 10 and then followed it up with just four points against the Utah Jazz on January 12. You do love it when players are able to make fun of themselves, and not take these criticisms too seriously.
Also to be fair to Barrett, that outing against the Jazz was the only game so far in which he has failed to score in double-digits for the Raptors. His playstyle might be somewhat bland, but he isn’t quite as inconsistent as Anthony believes he is.
RJ Barrett Has Impressed With The Raptors
Anthony made those comments after Barrett was traded by the New York Knicks to the Raptors in the OG Anunoby deal in December. The change in scenery has certainly helped the 23-year-old, as Barrett is averaging 20.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game as a Raptor while shooting 54.5% from the field.
With the Raptors in full rebuild mode, Barrett is a solid piece for them to build around, along with Scottie Barnes. He is never going to be a superstar but could develop into a great second option on offense in the future.
The Canadian doesn’t have to deal with the kind of pressure on him in Toronto like he had in New York either. Barrett was selected with the third pick of the 2019 NBA Draft by the Knicks but hadn’t quite lived up to expectations. It led to a bit of an uneasy relationship between him and the fans, but that shouldn’t be an issue moving forward.
The Knicks Are Rolling After The Trade
While the trade was a good one for Barrett and the Raptors, it might be a great one for the Knicks. They have gone 9-2 with Anunoby in the lineup, with the highlights of that run being impressive wins over the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Knicks now have a 26-17 record and if they stay relatively injury-free, seem to have a great chance at securing one of the top four seeds in the Eastern Conference. Paul Pierce even thinks the Knicks can make the Conference Finals if they avoid the Boston Celtics.
That might be a step too far for this group I believe. Even with this trade, I think the Knicks are a tier below the 76ers and the Milwaukee Bucks. They need a star next to Jalen Brunson to challenge those teams in the playoffs and I don’t believe Julius Randle would be that. In fact, I’d say the Knicks might have to trade Randle to get in that star, but it seems very unlikely they’ll make a move along those lines this season.
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