New York Knicks young star RJ Barrett had a full-circle moment on Thursday night as he was able to match up with long-time idol DeMar DeRozan. With DeRozan's Bulls down by just a single point in their last possession, it was up to Barrett to go toe-to-toe with the four-time All-Star and lock him down to secure a huge road win.

And he did.

Barrett put the clamps on the 32-year-old vet which helped secure the Knicks' second away win. After the 104-103 win, the young Canadian had nothing but respect for the Bulls' new swingman:

“Man I've watched him so much, growing up in Toronto,” Barrett expressed (via Knicks). “He's always been one of my favorite players,  the pride and joy of Toronto. I've seen that shot fake a lot. He's a great player, thankfully I was able to stay down,”

RECOMMENDED (Article Continues Below)
Scottie Barnes got down to business on vacation in Cancun.

Nick Meyer ·

76ers Joel Embiid on the bench from game one or game two of playoff series vs. New York Knicks with Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart smiling or laughing.

Drew Maresca ·

Tom Thibodeau in New York Knicks coaching uniform

Brian Buyawe ·

It seems all those hours Barrett spent as a young kid from Toronto watching the former Raptors star paid off. The Ontario native, who was even compared to DeRozan as he came into the league, has shown that he's a bonafide star for the Knicks and defensive plays like this only further prove that he's an all-around star just like DeMar.

More importantly for Barret, his team continues to surge early on this season as the Knicks were able to hand DeRozan and the Bulls their first loss of the season. Both teams now find themselves at the top of the Eastern Conference with a 4-1 record respectively.