Raptors' RJ Barrett wants to win championship for his hometown team

RJ Barrett is hoping to represent the Toronto Raptors and Canada on the game's biggest stage.

Toronto Raptors forward RJ Barrett reacts after a play against the Atlanta Hawks. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Toronto Raptors forward RJ Barrett is living out a dream playing for his hometown team. The Mississauga, Ont. native is in his second full season with the Raptors, where he is hoping to continue improving.

The No. 3 overall pick of the 2019 NBA Draft has been strong for the Raptors, averaging around 20 points per game. Barrett spoke to The Athletic insider Eric Koreen about playing for the Raptors and what it means to him.

“I’d been in one environment and I’d played for one coach for a very long time,” Barrett said of his youth in Mississauga via Koreen. “It was really different (with the Knicks) from what it is over here. It was just maybe … not knowing what else was out there, what else to expect.

“(Toronto) is home for me. I think I play with a little bit of a different passion. I think I care a little bit more because I want to represent my home very well.”

Toronto Raptors forward RJ Barrett dribbles against the Atlanta Hawks. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Barrett hopes to make Toronto proud

Barrett is not the only player on the Raptors with experience playing near home. Garrett Temple and Jamison Battle have also played close to home in their past and they know how the added pressure can change.

“It’s definitely a little more incentive,” Temple, who used to play for his hometown New Orleans Pelicans, said via Koreen. “Innately, it’s going to mean a little more to you.”

“Being back home, like I was at Minnesota (in college) for two years, it’s a lot. And you can internalize that pressure,” Battle said via Koreen. “But I think he’s just letting the chips fall and just playing his hardest and whatever happens, happens. The way he’s doing his job — that’s not easy to do.”

Barrett was traded in the middle of the season back in the 2023-24 campaign from the New York Knicks to the Raptors. Last season, he was getting into his groove after the shock of the midseason trade wore off.

Now, Barrett is in a position to compete with his hometown Raptors and make the playoffs for the first time since he arrived back home. Getting to represent the Raptors on a major stage will only motivate him more to get closer to a championship for his hometown team.

Barrett and the Raptors are back in action against the Indiana Pacers tomorrow at 7 p.m. ET.