RJ

Barrett

After a couple rough shooting nights, Barrett was able to get back on track in this game. He has scored at least 20 points in nine of his 12 games this season, though he had failed to reach that mark in his two previous games. He ended up setting a new season high for scoring in this one, and he fell one rebound shy of matching his career high. It was a spectacular night for Barrett as he tried to keep the shorthanded Raptors in the game.

RJ will have games where he will take a bunch of shots and miss a lot of them. The Raptors were without Kawhi Leonard and Scottie Barnes in this one, so the Raptors needed the offense. The Celtics did a good job guarding him which ended up being the difference between a win and a loss. He’ll have better games from the field, and enjoy the peripheral stats you got in this one.

Barrett was tasked with shouldering more of the scoring workload in this one with Kawhi Leonard (knee), Scottie Barnes (groin) and Immanuel Quickly (hamstring) out due to injuries. The 26-year-old hoisted a team-leading 21 shot attempts and got to the free-throw line regularly against a struggling Milwaukee squad. He’ll continue to be relevant for fantasy managers as Toronto’s primary offensive catalyst until the rest of their starting lineup gets healthy.

Immanuel Quickley (hamstring) and Scottie Barnes (adductor, groin) will not play in Friday’s game, so the Raptors replaced them with Jamal Shead and Jakob Poeltl. If either of them are available in redraft leagues, they are worth a stream for Friday. Shead would be the priority over Poeltl given the fact that Shead will have the ball more, but most of his value comes from assists.

Barrett led the team in shot attempts in this game and he did a good job scoring the ball. On the season, he’s averaging 20.9 points, 6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.5 blocks, shooting 48.1% from the field, 59.5% from the free throw line, and 31.8% from three. Outside of the free throw percentage, he’s been great for where he was selected in redraft leagues. There’s even room for him to get better once he starts hitting more of his free throws.

Barrett scored 16 points in the first half of Monday’s game, shooting 7-of-9 from the field. The overall stat line was good, except for one category: free-throw percentage. Barrett is shooting a career-worst 58.8 percent from the charity stripe this season, a number that has done his category league value no favors. That said, Barrett is a career 69.5 percent shooter, so it may not be too surprising that he’s started slowly in that regard.

Barrett has scored at least 20 points in three of his last four games, a stretch that coincides with the Raptors’ loss of Kawhi Leonard to a knee injury. While he didn’t record any defensive stats on Sunday, fantasy managers will be pleased with Barrett’s double-double, his first of the season, and the assists. The Raptors play three games next week, starting with the Clippers on Monday.

RJ Barrett took the shots early in this game in the first game without Kawhi and was efficient from the field. Notably, he was on the exercise bike at multiple points in this game, so it could be something to monitor. If you got RJ Barrett in fantasy, you should be really happy about what he’s been doing. He won’t get you many defensive numbers but he will certainly score, and get you some rebounds. There’s an opportunity with Kawhi out, so there could be room to sell-high if someone gives you a good offer.

Kawhi Leonard is out with knee soreness, so Ja’Kobe Walter will get the start against the Magic. He’s useful if you need some points and 3’s but he likely will not be much more than a deeper league guy. Look for Barnes, Quickley, and Barrett to pick up the slack without Kawhi.

Barrett helped keep the Raptors within striking distance of the Timberwolves in the first half, scoring 14 points. Unfortunately for him, he went cold in the third quarter, along with the rest of the Raptors, shooting 1-of-5 from the field. Toronto was outscored 35-15 as Kawhi Leonard’s absence and Scottie Barnes’ 0-of-12 shooting caught up to them. Barrett and the Raptors will look to bounce back on Wednesday against the Magic.