Barrett and Quickley looking to take advantage of fresh starts in Toronto

TORONTO – Life in the NBA can be unrelenting.

Two very long days ago, Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett were in their Indiana hotel rooms getting set to face the Pacers with their now former Knicks team later that evening.

It would have been their second game in as many nights and the final stop on a three-game road trip. It also would have been their 11th road game in the span of 14 contests last month, a stretch that began with a win in Toronto on Dec. 1.

As it happened, they never played in that game. After getting in from Orlando late the night before, Quickley and Barrett were both still asleep as word of a five-player trade between the Knicks and Raptors began to spread.

“I thought it was a dream because I just woke up,” said Quickley, whose agent called to break the news – he was heading to Toronto, along with Barrett and a second-round pick in exchange for OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn.

It was a different kind of dream for Barrett, the Canadian kid who was raised in nearby Mississauga and grew up rooting for the team he now gets to play for.

“Coming home, immediately I was happy,” he said. “I grew up a Raptors fan all my life. So, to come here and put this jersey on, it’s going to be great.”

After a quick pit stop in New York, where they stuffed some clothes in a duffle bag or two, they arrived in Toronto on Sunday but didn’t even have the time to unpack. They debuted for the Raptors on New Year’s Day, a 124-121 win over Cleveland. On Tuesday afternoon they’ll head out on a six-game West Coast swing. Thirteen of the team’s next 18 contests will come on the road.

It’s been a whirlwind, and that whirlwind continues, but you wouldn’t know if from their first impression.

Both players made an immediate impact in Game No. 1 with their new club. After driving into Cavaliers centre Jarrett Allen and missing a layup on the opening possession, Quickley put Toronto on the board with his first bucket: a three-pointer assisted by Barrett. He followed it up with a nifty pocket pass to Jakob Poeltl, and then hit another three-ball – all part of a season-high 41-point first quarter for the Raptors.

That’s when Barrett got going. First, he blew by a Cavs defender and outmuscled Caris LeVert at the rim for a layup. On the next possession, he followed and tipped in his own shot, as Toronto built a 19-point second quarter lead.

It wasn’t perfect, mind you, for the newcomers or their team, but you wouldn’t expect it to be under the circumstances. Quickley got in early foul trouble and missed a few floaters late in the game, Barrett committed a couple regrettable fourth-quarter turnovers, and the Raptors couched up their lead and nearly came apart in the final minutes.

But there was something different about this team, in addition to the final result. Sure, they benefited from some of Cleveland’s self-inflicted errors down the stretch but, overall, there was a different energy out there. Players were diving on the floor, something that Dennis Schroder said this team wasn’t doing enough of after Saturday’s embarrassing loss in Detroit snapped the Pistons’ historic streak of futility. They were sharing the ball and, for the most part, getting after it defensively. For a group that had dropped 12 of their previous 16 games, they desperately needed a lift, some new blood.

Six Raptors scored in double figures, including Barrett, who had 19 points to go along with his nine rebounds, and Quickley, who added 14.

There was a different energy in the building, as well.

“It meant a lot as the hometown kid just coming in and trying to get a win for the fans, trying to win for the country,” said Barrett, who got the loudest ovation of the night when he was introduced as a starter alongside Quickley. “This was special. Way better than any other time that I’ve played here. This was a special one and I’m always going to appreciate that.”

Both players were all smiles while being introduced to the local media earlier in the day. The move is more than just a change of scenery. It’s the fresh start that both of them needed, an opportunity to take the next step in their respective careers.

Quickley had maxed out his role in New York. With the Knicks, the former 25th-overall pick established himself as one of the league’s top reserves, finishing second in Sixth Man of the Year voting last season. His per-36 minute numbers are certainly starter calibre, and he impressed in 21 spot starts last season, averaging 22.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists while shooting 40 per cent from three-point range. All that’s left to do is prove that he can do it with a full-time gig.

With Jalen Brunson blocking him at his position, and Tom Thibodeau reluctant to play two smaller guards together for extended periods, that opportunity wasn’t going to come in The Big Apple. He’ll get it in Toronto. The Raptors, like many talent evaluators around the league, believe that’s all he needs to go from up-and-comer to full-fledged star, or dependable starter at worst.

“It’s great, the trust they have in me, but I feel like I worked for it,” said the 24-year-old guard. “I put a lot of work into the summer and I want to continue to keep getting better.”

Meanwhile, Barrett had become a polarizing figure in New York, where he was judged – fairly at times, harshly at others – against his draft slot and the nine-figure contract extension New York signed him to in 2022. In Toronto, he’ll have a chance to prove that, at only 23 years of age, he’s still a growing player, and while playing in your hometown has its own challenges, he’ll be free of the pressure that comes with being a former third-overall pick under the bright lights of NYC.

“I’ve kind of showed who I am over the course of the years,” Barrett said. “Just trying to get better with the Raptors system and hopefully unlock some new areas of my game that I haven’t been able to show as much. So, I’m just excited to be here and be part of this.”

On the surface, Barrett’s on-court fit isn’t quite as seamless as Quickley, an elite long-range shooter who should pair well with Scottie Barnes (and, at least for now, Pascal Siakam). Since showing some progress as a three-point shooter in his sophomore campaign, when he hit 40 per cent of his 4.3 attempts per game, Barrett’s jumper has been inconsistent at best (33 per cent on 5.5 attempts over the past three seasons).

In New York, he functioned as a high-usage slasher, and some of his strengths offensively – primarily his knack for getting to the basket – would often clash with co-stars Brunson and Julius Randle. Barring another move, he could face similar challenges with the Raptors, who feature another high-usage, below average shooting star in Siakam (though he did hit five of his eight three-point attempts on Monday), as well as a non-shooting centre in Jakob Poeltl.

But if he can refine a few areas of his game, do more with less, attack in transition and continue to take advantage of his strength around the rim, as he did in his Raptors debut, there’s undoubtedly another, more efficient level that he can reach. And there shouldn’t be any question about his culture fit. He’s a relentless worker who plays hard and will represent the city, country and organization well and with pride. Given the current state of this club, that shouldn’t be overlooked.

“I mean, who doesn’t want to come home?” he said. “Who doesn’t want to come home and play in front of family and friends and try to get a team that I’ve always loved so much back to where they were in 2019?”

Considering what these two had been through over the previous few days and the fact that they had only participated in one morning shoot around with the team, it would have been easy for Darko Rajakovic to justify easing them in or bringing them off the bench until they get up to speed. That’s not uncommon for newly acquired players across the league. Instead, they both started and played upwards of 28 minutes, despite battling foul trouble for most of the night. That speaks to the organization’s level of commitment. Their roles will be significant, this season and beyond.

“Obviously adding two new players in the middle of the season is challenging,” Rajakaovic said. “But both of those players are player of impact and we want to use those guys to the best of their ability.”