RJ Barrett. The Raptors' sixth man?
Ever since Brandon Ingram arrived at the trade deadline, the prevailing discussion about Toronto's roster has been that it’s too wing-heavy, lacking reliable three-point threats, and perhaps with too many mouths to feed. When your starting lineup features players like Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, and Brandon Ingram, concerns about ball sharing and everyone getting enough opportunities are understandable; NBA analyst Kevin O'Connor just recently highlighted the Raptors' lack of 'continuity' hurting them last year.
Maybe it’s each starter’s responsibility to tweak or improve aspects of their game to help their teammates flourish. For instance, I’ve already mentioned in Quickley’s case that he could elevate his playmaking.
But what about the Raptors’ hometown hero, RJ Barrett?
Is RJ Barrett's ideal Raptors role moving forward off the bench?
I feel like he doesn’t get much love because many have written him off as expendable, the most obvious player to be moved at any moment. That’s unfair for a guy who’s coming off his best season so far and is clearly motivated to make improvements. I've seen a ton of clips lately of the "Maple Mamba" putting in work in the gym, honing his craft with renowned skills trainer and coach Drew Hanlen, whose roster of stars includes Jayson Tatum, Joel Embiid, Zach LaVine, Bradley Beal, among others.
We all saw last season that RJ Barrett could take the mantle as a primary scoring threat, while also showing his ability to grab rebounds and playmake when needed. Although, there are definitely some concerns regarding his defensive consistency and effort, as well as a shaky free-throw percentage. Now, instead of trying to figure out a world where RJ Barrett gets traded to simply address the overlaps, what if the Raptors still leverage him coming off a career year by transitioning him into a bench role? It’s certainly a bold take considering Barrett is more than capable of being a starter and has been for his entire career.
Plus, I don’t know too many teams paying upwards of $27 million for a bench player, but the idea could make sense.
The Raptors' bench is very promising, but it's largely made up of a lot of unproven youngsters, which may not serve well in a high-stakes environment like the playoffs if that is in Toronto's plans this year. I've been trying to figure out who might emerge as that guy for the Raptors' second unit, but when you consider a player like RJ Barrett, it really becomes a no-brainer. Barrett can still be his usual on-ball creator, serving as the leader for the bench mob who can really do it all.
With him coming off the bench, it opens the door for a more polished 3-and-D wing like Ochai Agbaji to step in, and on nights when that isn’t clicking, Barrett can slide right back into the starting lineup. Essentially, Barrett could still log his typical 30+ minutes, as he has throughout his career, just coming off the bench instead of starting. Putting Barrett out there to lead the second unit with guys like Ja'Kobe Walter, Jamal Shead, Collin Murray-Boyles, Sandro Mamukelashvili might be his pathway to replicating last season’s effectiveness, rather than being clustered with the core five night after night.
I'm definitely all-in on the idea, but ultimately it'll be up to Darko Rajakovic and the rest of the coaching staff to decide if they're on board too. I wouldn't put it past the clever Raptors' coaching staff, as they proved last year that they're unafraid to experiment from time to time.