The numbers for RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley in Toronto look eerily similar to the stat lines they posted in some of their best seasons with the Knicks — but it’s clear these aren’t the same players who once wore orange and blue. They’re better now. More mature. More polished versions of the Knicks kids who once danced across Madison Square Garden’s hardwood floors.
Barrett, for example, missed Sunday’s matchup against his former team with a right knee sprain, but through his first 17 games of the season, he averaged 19.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists. In New York, his best years fluctuated between 18 and 20 points per game before the Dec. 30, 2023 trade that sent him to the Raptors.
The same holds true for Quickley, the lightning-rod guard the Knicks didn’t want to pay top dollar with Jalen Brunson entrenched at point guard. Quickley averaged 15 points per game in his best New York seasons. He’s at 15.8 per game in Toronto.
But growth doesn’t always show itself in scoring.
Barrett may still be hovering around the 20-point mark, but he’s doing it with far greater efficiency — shooting nearly 50 percent in more than 100 games as a Raptor compared to 42.2 percent across almost 300 games with the Knicks.
“Those two guys, obviously, we got them, they were like 23 at the time, 24. They grew up a lot since that time. Obviously, RJ coming back and playing in Toronto is a big deal for him and his family. He’s playing with extra juice for Toronto fans,” Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic said. “And both of them, they were able to make a huge jump and really improve on both ends of the floor. We’re really happy with those two guys.”
Quickley’s evolution is even more dramatic. He’s become a legitimate playmaker — averaging 6.3 assists per game, more than double his three-dime average in New York, while playing only seven more minutes per night. His three-point efficiency is up. His steals are up. His command of the offense has leveled up.
“As leaders of a team, as competitors, both of them, they made huge strides with their bodies. They got stronger, they got in better shape,” Rajakovic said. “Quickley is establishing himself as a point guard and he was more of a two-guard when he was playing [in New York] and joined us. So that’s a big transition when you change positions and from coming off the bench to becoming a starter in this league.”
Rajakovic pointed to two specific areas of improvement since the Knicks traded their homegrown cornerstones to Toronto in exchange for OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn. Achiuwa and Flynn have since moved on. Anunoby missed Sunday’s game with a hamstring strain.
“Immanuel improved his defense on the ball dramatically. He’s one of the best defensive players that we have now on the ball. Also very disruptive with his hands,” Rajakovic said. “RJ’s shot selection is a little bit different. He’s getting much more to the rim, he’s doing catch-and-shoot 3s, he’s scoring more off cuts. Those two guys — they’re investing a lot in their individual and personal development and that’s affecting our whole team.”
KNICKS NEW O
Rajakovic is now the second straight opposing coach to note a shift in the Knicks’ offensive identity compared to the start of their first season under Mike Brown.
“I think it’s still early in the season. First 10 or 12 games, 15 games, whatever it was, they were running more. And now it looks like they’re settling into more personnel and how they’re playing more to the strengths of their players, trying at the same time to implement ball movement and body movement,” he said. “Obviously, they are a very talented team, a lot of great players. So it’s the right thing to concentrate on the strengths of those guys and let them be who they are.”
On Friday, Milwaukee’s Doc Rivers said New York had moved away from its early-season freelance, drive-and-kick approach and leaned harder into pick-and-roll actions featuring All-Stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns. Rajakovic echoed that assessment before tipoff at The Garden on Sunday.
“More pick and roll. Obviously, Towns is an amazing pick-and-roll, pick-and-pop player who is always creating dilemmas for teams, how to guard this, how to guard that,” he said. “There’s also some more opportunities for drives for Towns on offense, so opening the space up more for him. And Brunson is such a talented player, he always finds a way to score. So it’s just being him.”
DEUCE ON HC
Brown said Miles McBride is exactly who he thought he’d be when taking over the head coaching job — with one exception.
“I didn’t know he could shoot it as well as he does. He’s a high level shooter,” he said. “Also, his work ethic is really high. So those two things are something I learned being around him.”
McBride is off to a career-best 42.7 percent shooting clip from downtown this season, and he’s doing it while attempting the most threes per game (5.9) of his career.
Want more insights? Join Grow With Caliber - our career elevating newsletter and get our take on the future of work delivered weekly.
