For the former New York Knicks guard RJ Barrettmaybe there really was no place like home.

Manhattan alumnus Scott Perry, however, believes that Barrett’s early rise to prominence with the Toronto Raptors has more to do with Barrett’s personal adjustments than anything a return to his native Ontario could hope to accomplish spiritually.

“I’m proud of RJ and how well he played,” said Perry, former general manager of the Knicks. said in his web series “Hoops Genius”. “What he really does now is he reads the game much better than he did as a young player. When he came into the NBA, being drafted high, to the Knicks, he wanted show he could come in and score and be worthy of that choice.

Barrett entered the NBA as the third overall pick in the 2019 draft out of Duke, chosen as a consolation prize after bad luck in the lottery denied them a chance to get either Zion Williamson or Ja Morant. He showed flashes of potential during four-plus tours in New York, but the Knicks ended up sending him and Immanuel Quickley to Toronto in the deal that acquired OG Anunoby in December.

In Toronto, Barrett more or less serves as the franchise face of the rebuilding Raptors and he has taken advantage of this new opportunity: in five appearances this season, Barrett is the team’s leading scorer at 26.2 points per game and already has three appearances with at least 30 points, including 31 in an overtime win over Sacramento on Saturday.

This is an indirect vindication for Perry, who made Barrett one of his 11 draft picks during his six years in the Knicks front office. Perry has also taken note of Barrett’s improving game: In addition to his scoring, Barrett is averaging 7.8 assists, more than double his career average. Toronto lost to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, but Barrett had a double-double of 33 points and 12 assists in the loss.

“You see a more relaxed player,” praised Perry. “His passes really started to pick up momentum there. That’s why I think he’s scoring 30 a lot easier.”

Barrett and the Raptors are scheduled to visit Madison Square Garden on December 23.

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