Canada Head Coach Jordi Fernandez Praises RJ Barrett

The Paris Olympics have treated Toronto Raptors forward RJ Barrett.

For Barrett this upcoming NBA season is an important one as he looks to take a leap. Which seems to be the case after playing his best basketball of his career when he arrived in Toronto.

With a young core revolving around Barrett, Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley, they seem to mesh well playing alongside each other. Yet, all three are young and will continue to develop as time passes.

Luckily for Barrett, he gets to get some extra reps by playing for Team Canada this summer in Paris. So far, he looks ready for next season with his impressive scoring outputs.

Recently, Barrett put up 24 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists in Canada’s win over Australia to improve to 2-0 in group play. Head coach Jordi Fernandez praised Barrett’s Olympic play, via Fiba.com:

“He’s that guy. Sometimes, I don’t call plays for him and he just scores. That’s what he does. Probably, I should be better and call more plays for him, but he finds a way.”

For a team that features dynamic scoring guards in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jamal Murray, this is an impressive feat. If Barrett is able to continue his play, it could result in a medal game for Canada.

Before the Olympics officially kicked off, Canada’s group was labeled as the Group of Death. To be 2-0 up to this point is a testament to how well-rounded this squad is to compete against any country.

Hopefully, when reflecting on the entirety of this Olympics run, this is something Barrett can build off of and use it as a jumping point for the rest of his career.

After some up and down play during his time with the New York Knicks, it is great to see things beginning to click for the Raptors forward.

Immanuel Quickley says RJ Barrett was excited about trade to Toronto

The Knicks were beginning to become a playoff team and felt the need to solidify their chances.

That resulted in trading for O.G. Anunoby from Toronto. Ending Barrett’s tenure in New York, but Quickley said he was excited about returning home to Canada.