RJ Barrett says his on-court connection with Immanuel Quickley is rooted in resilience forged during their New York Knicks tenure. That foundation has carried over to the Toronto Raptors, where the duo is central to the team’s late-game execution.
Their familiarity was evident last week against the Charlotte Hornets, when Quickley hit a clutch three-pointer off a screen to secure a narrow victory. Barrett called it a continuation of the mindset they built in New York rather than a surprise moment.
“Yeah. If you look, I was 12 for 25, he was 8 for 18,” Barrett said via NBA insider Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson. “It’s not good, but part of it is, who cares, you’re not gonna make shots every night. You’re not going to be hot every night. Teams are good, teams are scouting what you do, it was tough sometimes.”
Barrett credits the intensity of the New York market for teaching both players to ignore external scrutiny. “So that mentality that he kind of had coming from New York is like, who cares man, just keep shooting, keep getting to the stuff that you work on,” he said.
In Toronto, Quickley often handles perimeter creation late in games, while Barrett attacks the rim and manages pressure at the free-throw line. Barrett is averaging 19.6 points per game on 49.6% shooting across 23 contests, while Quickley contributes 16.5 points and 6.3 assists.
Barrett acknowledged that free-throw consistency remains an area of focus, currently at 68.9%, but emphasized trusting his preparation over analytics. “If you go look at them in the clutch, I make it a high clip. I know right now, just coming back, I’ll figure it out,” he said.
The Raptors sit fourth in the Eastern Conference at 24–16, holding a 1.75 SRS advantage over opponents. Barrett and Quickley’s “next play” mentality has stabilized Toronto in close contests and contributed to the team ranking 10th in offensive efficiency.
