It was a homecoming for Toronto Raptors stars RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley as they made their return to Madison Square Garden after a huge trade trade that sent OG Anunoby to the New York Knicks. While the Knicks would ruin the return of the former New York stars beating them 126-100, the fans gave a warm response to Barrett and Quickley, which could be surprising with the perception that fans in the city are ruthless.
In the loss to the Knicks, the new Raptors forward in Barrett scored 20 points, collected eight rebounds, and recorded four assists. He talked about the fan reaction, the fact that the Knicks made a tribute video, and the amount of “emotions” himself and Quickley had according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN.
“It was amazing…Oh, it’s crazy. Holy — that’s the loudest thing ever. And it fuels you and motivates you.” Barrett said. “Thank you to the fans, for sure. We got a tribute video. … I didn't think we were going to get that. That was cool. I'm very appreciative of my time here. To come back had a lot of emotions, for sure. But it was fun to come back and play basketball again.”
RJ: “I had a lot of emotions for sure … we were hyped — “ said he was surprised and pleased by the tribute video. On his FTs (he was 3-of-9) and Barrett just said: “I missed 6 … sheesh, I got to go work on my FTs” pic.twitter.com/9cBXNRaLwg
— Michael Grange (@michaelgrange) January 21, 2024
Playing at Madison Square Garden, also known as the Mecca of basketball, could be surreal for any basketball player, but for a player on the Knicks, it is their everyday location of work. However, Barrett said he “always loved” playing at the historic sports venue according to Eric Koreen of The Athletic.
“It’s like a show at the Garden with all the lights and everything that goes on,” Barrett said. “I was always appreciative of that. I always loved playing in the Garden.”
Barrett speaks on if he is disappointed in his time with New York
Earlier, the 23-year old talent out of the University of Duke was drafted with the third overall pick in the 2019 draft where the Knicks took a chance on him. He has had some productive seasons, but it seemed as if New York thought both sides needed a change of scenery.
For Barrett, playing for the Raptors means he won't be too far from home as he was actually born in Toronto in the country of Canada. Correspondingly, when asked about what his disappointment level was at in his tenure with the Knicks, there were no signs of those feelings in his response.
“I mean, look where they are,” Barrett said. “When you build something, when you’re a part of something — getting back to the playoffs after a long drought, then not making it, then going back and winning a playoff series — those experiences with those people over there, coming in at 19 and then leaving at 23, they definitely helped me grow up. I’ll never forget New York.”
Quickley talks adjusting to a new change of scenery
In addition, Quickley scored 12 points and collected 11 assists in the 31 minutes he played against his former team in the Knicks and had a similar reaction to Barrett with the fans. However, he is also disappointed that his team lost the game by the end of the night.
“It was great, just to come back,”Quickley said. “Obviously didn't get the outcome we wanted … [but] just to see everybody where I started my professional career was pretty cool.”
An aspect about trades that goes unnoticed is the fact players who have been drafted by an organization and have been there for their entirety of their short careers, the connections made are lost. Consequently, when coming to a new team, they have to develop new bonds and form chemistry, which Quickley humorously compares to a romantic relationship.
“It definitely takes time,” Quickley said per ESPN. “It's like meeting a new girl. You got to take time to get to know her, you got to take her out to eat, stuff like that, you ain't gonna just walk up to her and say, ‘Let's get married.' That ain't gonna work. No, it'll come together. Rome wasn't built in a day. We have to keep working, individually and as a team we have to continue to try to take steps, and if we keep chopping wood and carrying water we'll get there.”
Ex-teammate Julius Randle says Barrett and Quickley are “special talents”
Moreover, Barrett's former teammate in big-man Julius Randle recorded a triple-double against the Raptors as he scored 18 points, collected 16 rebounds, and had 10 assists. After the game, he talked about the relationship he had with Barrett and Quickley and how it developed when they were all peers on the same team.
“Those guys are special talents,” Randle said. “It's a special relationship I've built with them. I know they talk about how much I meant to them, but they mean a lot to me, to be honest. Talking about leadership, how I carry myself, how to be open, how to be honest, how to be motivated — those are things I didn't necessarily have coming in vocally. I always wanted to lead by example, just play hard every night. But those guys with me brought a different side out of me. … The relationship that I have with them is extremely special.”
Overall, the Raptors are 16-27 on the season after the loss to New York which puts them at 12th in the Eastern Conference. Subsequently, their next game is tomorrow night against the Memphis Grizzlies.
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