When RJ Barrett was traded away from the New York Knicks on Dec. 30, 2023 (seriously, they didn't even let him finish out the holidays before shipping him out), he wasn't seen as a bust. But for a former number three pick, Barrett's time in New York was, in a word, disappointing -- at least relative to expectations.
While he never seemed to want less than Madison Square Garden's spotlight, Barrett's efficiency never quite met his drive. Averaging 18-20 points per game is nice over three years, but doing so on a true-shooting percentage that was also consistently six points below league average while also never crossing over three assists or six boards per game puts a bit of a damper on whatever excitement you might make for yourself beyond a passing glance at the nightly box score.
And New York apparently thought the same. RJ Barrett, the scorer was interesting. RJ Barrett, the leader and playmaker? Not so much. Which is why, just a year and change after the trade itself, it is surprising to see RJ Barrett as one of the Raptors' lead anchors, and one-third of the sixth-highest-scoring offense in the league through the first few weeks of the 2025-26 season.
And unique the Raptors are. Barrett, along with Scottie Barnes, and new addition Brandon Ingram are not playmakers by any stretch of the imagination. All three are big, scoring-focused wings. What's actually interesting to them is that not only has their combination not bruised anyone's ego (at least not yet), but only one other team in the NBA has matched their scoring output, with three players all averaging over 20 points per game — the Denver Nuggets.
Now, that list could very likely expand if Joel Embiid gets his mojo back, LeBron James returns to the court, or Jalen Williams does the same.
But among all of these championship hopefuls and contenders, it is significant that Toronto is on the list in the first place. And, I cannot stress this enough, Toronto is doing this while winning actual games: as of this analysis, they are 4-4 to begin the season, and currently the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. This season is weird all over, but just like the Portland Trail Blazers in the West, Toronto's early success might the weirdest basketball anomaly east of the Mississippi River.
What makes the Toronto Raptors unique
You'll notice the other teams that feature at least three 20+ points per game scorers are led by incredible playmakers. Jokic is the greatest passing center ever. LeBron and Luka could be the most talented passing duo in league history. Even Oklahoma City is pretty egalitarian with its players' usage -- at least after Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
But none of Toronto's "Big Three" (imagine ginormous finger quotes) touch even SGA's assist average (6.3) or percentage (32.9). Even weirder is that this offense does pass the ball -- the Raptors actually lead the league in assists per game as a team. It's simply rare to see that sort of thing happen. And in truth, the team leaders in that stat are their starting and backup point guards, Immanuel Quickley (6.4 per game) and Jamal Shead (5.4 per game). What's even more eye-popping about Shead is that he's putting up that average in just above 17 minutes of playtime per contest -- per 36 minutes, his assists average would trail only Jokic.
What does this all mean? It means that, against all conceivable projections, the Toronto Raptors have found a sustainable way to make three primary scorers co-exist. And co-exist they do. Unlike the Nuggets, Brandon Ingram, Scottie Barnes, and RJ Barrett all average damn near 21 points per game. They do this while also all on just over 32 minutes, with all boasting career-highs in true shooting percentage.
Will this be sustainable? Who knows. But it has been through three weeks, RJ Barrett seems happier than he's ever been in New York, and Toronto is coming off of a massive 28-point win over what could be the best version of Giannis Antetokounmpo we've yet to see.
None of them are going to get the MVP buzz of Deni Avdija out in Portland if this keeps going, but Toronto's status as the Blazers of the East sounds just as feel-good as it does weird.