Toronto Raptors (23-50) guard RJ Barrett has been out for nearly three weeks following the tragic death of his brother Nathan. The untimely tragedy interrupted another solid season for the Canadian veteran, as he's second on the team with 19.5 points per game.
However, it looks like Barrett will return to the court soon. The Duke alum has been getting his conditioning back up to speed after temporarily stepping away from basketball. He's now been named questionable to play Sunday against the Philadelphia 76ers after missing the last eight contests, via the NBA injury report.
How will this affect Barrett and the Raptors?
Toronto has been floundering, as the squad is just 1-13 in the month of March. The Raptors have also lost 12 straight games, and have been eliminated from playoff contention. Therefore, the organization has nothing to play for for the nine remaining contests this season.
However, these games could be the most important of Barrett's career, should he decide to play. Rather than spiralling down a bottomless hole of grief and pain, basketball could help the 23-year-old cope, via Eric Koreen of the Athletic.
“It helps me every day to be here and also just be on a schedule and just be around the guys. Hanging out with your teammates, it’s funny,” Barrett said on Saturday. “They’re funny. You get to hang out with them, you get to go practice and even support the guys when I’m not playing. Whatever it is, just being around has been helping a lot.”
This gives these upcoming games more meaning than normal for a losing team at this point in the season. It's bigger than basketball, and with Barrett already being in his native country of Canada, the Raptors' locker room might be the exact sanctuary that he needs.
Barrett also mentioned that his brother would want him to continue to play and enjoy his life.
“I’ve had some people in my life pass, but I think this one hit a little harder for me. Yeah, this one is definitely a little different, so it’s a lot tougher,” Barrett continued. “I just think that I’ve gotta push forward every day, gotta be able to try to figure it out. Because, also, if I know my brother, he would want me to be here, to be playing, to try to continue to make the Barrett legacy grow.”
While their locker room chemistry hasn't translated to wins this year, the Raptors clearly know how to emotionally supports their players. That was evidenced by the team's pre-game moment of silence in their home tilt against the Orlando Magic on March 15th. The entire organization was also present for Nathan's funeral.
“I did not have a chance to meet Nathan prior, but just hearing all the stories about him, after leaving the funeral, I felt that I knew that he was an amazing young man,” Raptors head coach Darko Rajaković said. “Amazing family, very tight, very supportive of each other. Just a great example for a lot of us just how we need to treat family members and how close we need to be.”
Going forward, this tragic event might help Toronto stay tight-knit. With fellow guard Immanuel Quickley and small forward Scottie Barnes, the Raptors have decent building blocks to compliment Barrett beyond this season. With the new-look roster establishing such a family-oriented type of culture, this will only help them improve as a unit long-term.
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