The Toronto Raptors made one of the splashiest moves of the last few weeks, when they decided to part ways with Juancho Hernangomez and agreed to terms with former Washington Wizards guard and experienced perimeter scorer Will Barton.
Barton didn’t do much in what was a very brief cameo against the Chicago Bulls, but one would expect that he would get a much bigger role against his old team. Given Barton’s clutch 3-point shooting and postseason experience, he’ll likely get a steady diet of minutes.
Barton claimed that part of the reason that he joined the Raptors over teams like the Boston Celtics was the fact that he could get consistent minutes on a team with postseason aspirations. He also believes that Toronto is a sleeping giant the rest of the league is sleeping on.
Barton said that the Raptors are “way better than their record, everyone knows that around the league.” That sort of optimism will be welcomed around Toronto, and it also shows that the project Masai Ujiri and the rest of the organization are trying to put together is being viewed positively within the NBA.
Asked Will Barton about Raps' potential:
— Vivek Jacob (@vivekmjacob) March 1, 2023
"Definitely a team that's way better than their record, everyone knows that around the league. Very talented, well coached, well run organization, so, hopefully we can keep getting wins, get our record better and get into the playoffs." pic.twitter.com/x4IzqILhnD
More Raptors news
- Barton could not wait to praise Nick Nurse and his style of coaching.
- “He has a great basketball mind, a lot of pedigree, a lot of respect around the league, a coach that really knows the game,” Barton said. “I’m looking forward to growing my relationship with him.”
- Nurse said that the decision to replace Hernangomez with Barton was partially contractual, as the team did not incur a large financial penalty by letting him go. Nurse believes that he gave the former No. 16 overall pick a fairly substantial opportunity. Hernangomez shot just 26% from 3-point range despite his shooting being one of the main reasons he was signed.
Nick Nurse said waiving Juancho Hernangomez was largely a contractual decision and that they wanted to keep some of the younger players in the program. Said he felt they gave Juancho a decent opportunity.
— Oren Weisfeld (@OrenWeisfeld) February 28, 2023
NBA news
- Police records obtained by the Washington Post show that Memphis Grizzlies superstar Ja Morant was accused of punching a 17-year-old “12-13 times” before brandishing a gun. This comes just a few weeks after The Athletic reported that acquaintances of Morant “aggressively confronted” Pacers employees after a game.
- Kevin Durant has officially made his debut as a member of the Phoenix Suns, scoring 23 points in 27 minutes while leading the team to a win against the Charlotte Hornets. The Suns have some ground to make up, but their star power could be frightening for the rest of the wide-open Western Conference.