“I’m a travellin’ man, moving through places, space, and time, got a lotta things I got to do, but Inshallah (God Willin’), I’m coming back to you.”
Mos Def’s words must echo in RJ Barrett’s head when he arrives in arenas on the road.
It’s safe to say that Barrett has made considerable strides in his game since arriving in Toronto last season. He’s been empowered as a playmaker, becoming one of the most effective pick-and-roll players in the NBA this season. His finishing at the rim is markedly better; he’s more poised in his decision-making and the shots he takes. While he’ll argue nothing has changed since his time in New York, schematically, he’s being used differently than he was with the Knicks, especially in the second half of last season when the Raptors leaned on him more as an off-ball cutter and slasher.
He still has considerable room to grow, but he’s made immense progress in his short time back home in Toronto.
It’s a different story on the road this season, though.
At home: 30 points per game on an efficient 54-44-82 shooting while nabbing nearly seven rebounds and six assists a night. He’s scored 30+ points in 5 of the Raptors’ 7 games at the Scotiabank Arena, putting up All-Star-like numbers.
On the road: 19 points per game on a lowly 39-30-59 shooting splits, with the same amount of rebounds and assists in an 11-game sample.
It’s a massive contrast. Raptors Head Coach Darko Rajakovic tried to explain it in practice today:
“When you look at our schedule, and some of those road games that we played, some of those came on back-to-backs, the tough games, the traveling, and whatnot cannot be and should not be an excuse,” said Rajakovic. And he has a point. The Raptors have played three back-to-backs on the road in Minnesota, Los Angeles, Cleveland, and Detroit. Of the 11 times they’ve played on the road, seven games came against teams that made the post-season last year (I counted the Pelicans, but they really shouldn’t apply here with their injuries). The injuries have required Barrett to step into an even more prominent role than perhaps expected, especially during their five-game West Coast road trip where Barrett and Gradey Dick were the one-two punch throughout.
“It’s something that he’s learning to play through. We are very demanding of him,” Rajakovic continued. “It’s a special thing when you play in your own city. It’s a special thing when you represent your country. And he takes it very seriously. I think he plays with more emotion in front of our fans than on the road. He just needs to learn that people have TV and watch the games back home as well. So you should be playing on the road the same way,” Rajakovic joked.
For what it’s worth, Barrett is not the only Raptor who has struggled on the road. The team is 1-10 away from Scotiabank Arena. At home, they have the 16th-best offense and defense. On the road, they’re 17th and 24th, respectively. That drop in defense has directly correlated to fewer opportunities in transition. At home, Toronto is 12th in transition frequency. On the road, they’re 17th and convert on fewer opportunities on the fastbreak, according to Cleaning The Glass. That impacts a player like Barrett, who is second in the league in fastbreak points per game, only behind Giannis Antetokounmpo. At home, he puts up nearly 8 points in transition. That number gets cut in half on the road.
“I had two good games on the road just now; don’t do me like that,” Barrett joked with the media after his 37-point outing at home versus the Miami Heat. He’s right. In New Orleans, he dropped an efficient 22 points and 11 assists on 55% shooting, and in Miami, he poured in 26 points on 10-of-18 shooting. The downside? He committed ten turnovers combined in those two games.
“I’ve been trying to concentrate a little more. Put more focus on it,” Barrett said. “But I just had two good ones on the road right now, so let me be in a good spot.” He knows he needs to be better and is working on it.
“I think he did well versus the Celtics on the road,” Scottie Barnes told me in practice today. Also, correct. Barrett put up his first career triple-double with just one turnover despite shooting 37% from the field against the defending champs, pushing them to overtime and carving up their defense in the pick-and-roll with Jakob Poeltl. “I don’t know what’s the difference between home and away… but RJ is going to come in and play hard every single day. He gets to the basket and the line and makes those catch-and-shoot threes. He just is trying to push himself to that next limit.”
That last part is interesting and likely true for RJ: “Pushing himself to that next limit.” He’s found a cadence to how he approaches his games at home. Now, he must find a way for that formula to travel.
Still, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what it is. Besides, last season, after the All-Star Break, Barrett was actually better and more efficient on the road than he was at home. So, is there really any rhyme or reason to any of this?
Maybe it is the small sample size. Maybe it’s Osmows Shawarma. Maybe when Barrett hears Strizzy call his name at Scotiabank Arena, hears Torontonians roar when he’s introduced, and knows that he’s performing in front of his hometown, something mystical happens to him. He ascends to another realm of basketball existence, one where the rim isn’t an obstacle but merely a vessel for him to get buckets. Maybe this is all one game of NBA Street Volume 3, and Barrett turns on game-breaker mode when he’s in the city.
Ultimately, it’s too early to be concerned. Between his first stint with the Raptors, his summer with Team Canada, and the start of this season, Barrett has taken major steps to become a more effective version of himself on the basketball court. There’s been much more good than bad, at least recently.
I’ll leave you with a part of Mos Def’s verse in the song I quoted above that applies to RJ right now:
‘Cuz this thing called rhymin’ no different from coal minin’
We both on assignment to unearth a diamond
When you start climbin’
And them eyes start shinin’
You be strugglin’ and strivin’
And they think you prime-timin’
Maintain and keep silent make note and observation
This confrontation
This is the daily operation
A concentration
Stay focused on my recitation
‘Bout to reach my destination with no pause or hesitation
Baby make the preperation ‘cuz this ain’t no recreation
This is Pro Ball!
Like this verse, Barrett has to work to unearth his own diamonds on the road. He’s seen success, but with it has come the expectation of consistently being that version of himself.
But, in a season when ‘development’ has been at the forefront of the conversation regarding these Raptors, Barrett seems to have stumbled upon his next challenge through the strides he’s made in his game in the last calendar year.
He’s learned how he can be great.
Now, he must figure out how to replicate it away from home.
As a travellin’ man. Moving through places, space, and time.
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