Two preseason games into the schedule, there is still no clarity on when Toronto Raptors fans and the NBA world will get their first look at Kawhi Leonard back on the court. In the two preseason games Toronto has played without Leonard, RJ Barrett has returned to the same role he played for the Dinos throughout the playoffs. Barrett has been playing a ton of second fiddle to Scottie Barnes and has even been the primary option in preseason, and while that’s probably good for his confidence, it won't benefit the Raptors.
This isn’t RJ Barrett slander or me hating on him in any fashion. All I’m saying is the longer Toronto continues to have him play an on-ball role, the harder it could be for him to adjust when Leonard returns.
We’ve already seen Barrett steal touches from Scottie Barnes through the preseason, and that can’t continue, especially when Leonard gets activated. The front office gave up a significant part of their future and made a sizeable financial commitment to Leonard so he could be the guy, and they wouldn't have to rely on Barrett.
Barrett's adjustment is only getting harder
I’m going to use an analogy that one of my high school coaches used, which is that an offense in basketball is like a pie. In his offense, the guards got the biggest pieces, followed by the guy down low and the two forwards having the smallest pieces. For Toronto, obviously, the offense is completely different, as the forwards will be getting the biggest pieces. However, the analogy still works because Immanuel Quickley should have the third-largest share of the offense, behind Leonard and Barnes, with Barrett fourth.
That’s where the issue comes in: Barrett is getting the second-largest share of the offense and, in the first preseason game, arguably the largest. But when Leonard plays, Barrett’s spot in that pecking order will change completely, and that adjustment isn’t easy.
We’ve seen that Barrett loves playing with the ball in his hands and is a rhythm player who sometimes needs to eat up a ton of the shot clock to get to a comfort level where he can make a shot. That’s fine when you are getting a big piece of the pie, but when you aren’t, it’s harder to find that rhythm. When Leonard is playing, Barrett will be off the ball way more, operating way more out of the corner, and tasked with offering more than he currently is on the defensive end.
That hasn’t been his game at all through the preseason.
He’s carrying the same 27.7 percent usage rate at the start of the preseason as he did in last year's playoffs as Toronto’s No. 2 option. That’s not encouraging, and it doesn't help him grow into the new role we all expect him to play when this group is at full strength.
Obviously, this isn’t Barrett’s fault or anyone else's. With Leonard out, someone needs to step up, and Barrett is doing exactly that, like he did in last year's playoffs. I’m just saying that Leonard missing both of Toronto’s first two preseason games has cost Barrett valuable reps in the role he’ll be playing when this group is fully healthy. That may make the first half of the season tough for the Raptors from an on-court chemistry standpoint.
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