On Monday night, RJ Barrett notched his eighth 30-plus scoring performance between his 24 appearances this season, the former No. 3 overall draft pick’s second campaign with his hometown Toronto Raptors after beginning his pro career with the New York Knicks. Still, the 2018-19 Duke basketball sensation’s 32 points weren’t quite enough in the 122-121 home loss to the Chicago Bulls.
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Even in defeat, though, Barrett’s newfound levels of scoring prowess were on full display. After all, across 58 games last season, he reached the 30-point mark only twice.
The mere 24-year-old, whose 860 points as a Duke basketball one-and-done remain the most among any freshman in program history and sit below only 2005-06 JJ Redick’s 964 on the all-time Blue Devil single-season list, shot 11-for-24 from the field, 2-for-4 from three, and 8-for-9 at the charity stripe in the loss to the Bulls. He added five rebounds, nine assists, one steal, and two blocks, albeit with six turnovers.
Barrett’s latest big night bumped his career-high season averages to 23.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game.
Looking to snap their five-game losing streak, RJ Barrett and the reeling Toronto Raptors (7-20) are now gearing up to host the Brooklyn Nets (10-16) at 7:30 p.m. ET Thursday.
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