RJ Barrett returned to the New York area with the Raptors on Friday night, but was unable to contact any of his former Knicks teammates during his first night back in town.
“No, I went home and tried to buy something. [of my] Oh my god,” Barrett joked Saturday morning.
Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, who lived near the team's Tarrytown training facility, were traded late last month midway through the Knicks' road trip. On December 30th, he woke up in his hotel room in Indianapolis to hear the news that he had been traded to the Raptors. In the swap, they acquired two-way winger OG Anunoby from the Knicks.
Barrett, a Toronto native, then played six of his first seven games with the Raptors at Scotiabank Arena, returning to Canada for three games before returning to the Garden on Saturday to face the Knicks for the first time in his career. Ta.
Normally, visiting teams have shootarounds at MSG in the morning, but since St. John's will play Marquette in the afternoon, the Raptors practiced at the NBA Players Association headquarters in Midtown.
“I don’t know because I’m not there yet.” [what to expect]. Despite scoring a team-high 20 points, Barrett said this before his new team's 126-100 loss to the Knicks. “I’m with the Raptors now, so it’s all about going out there and winning.”
The 23-year-old former lottery pick added that returning to New York as a visiting player is “obviously weird right now,” while Barrett reiterated that it's “gratifying” to receive love from his old team's fans.
“I'm trying to focus on the game as much as I can. Like I said, I loved the fans, the New York fans, from day one, and I still do,” Barrett said. “So no matter what happens [Saturday night] At the Garden, we appreciate them anyway.
“One thing I think is, [I appreciated most here] I was a fan. This event, which sells out every night, is like a show in the garden, with all the lights and lights. So I've always been grateful for that and I've always loved playing in the garden.but [Saturday] I'll be a visitor and can't wait to see what it's like. ”
The Knicks won eight of their first 10 games with Anunoby in the lineup, but Barrett scored 20.2 points per game in his first 10 games with the Raptors, up from the 18.2 points per game he posted in 26 games this season. 2 points higher. With the Knicks.
He added that one of his favorite memories from his tenure was hearing Garden fans chanting his name during the playoffs last spring.
“Oh, that's crazy, holy…” Barrett said, dragging the last word for effect. “It's the loudest sound ever. And it energizes and motivates you.”
Quickley, who finished second in voting for the Sixth Man of the Year award last season, has been a starter since the trade and averaged 18.0 points and 5.2 assists for the Raptors.
he had I wrote a long article for The Players Tribune earlier this month.expressed his gratitude to the Knicks fans and organization during his time in New York.
Asked if he planned to do something similar on social media, Barrett said: “Of course, but I'll post.” [Sunday]. I've been waiting for this game. ”
Quickley, who had 12 points and 11 assists in the Raptors loss, said he doesn't usually get emotional, but added that Saturday's return visit to the Garden could change that.
“I don't cry in movies, so I don't think I'll cry much, but this one will. I'm trying not to cry,” he said.
