RJ Barrett
RJ Barrett is Toronto's starting wing through the first two regular-season games, and he has scored 20 or more in both.
Role
Barrett started the Oct. 21 opener against Chicago and the Oct. 23 game at Washington. Lineups.com lists Immanuel Quickley, Barrett, Scottie Barnes, Kawhi Leonard and Jakob Poeltl as the starting five for both games. Raptors Republic's Oct. 25 preview at Minnesota projected the same five, but I did not find a confirmed lineup for that game. He played 26 minutes in a 135-92 blowout and 34 at Washington, 30 per game over two games. CraftedNBA's projection page showed him at 33 minutes with Ja'Kobe Walter next in line. FantasyData lists Walter second and Jaden Bradley third behind him. I did not fetch either page, so treat those as snippets. He rested in the preseason finale per the wire note. In the preseason game at Detroit on Oct. 16, a different group started. I found no report of him sitting back-to-backs in the regular season.
Barrett has opened with 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting and 23 on 9-of-16, with nine rebounds and a block in the second game. Raptors Republic's preview asked whether he and Barnes could extend their streak of 20-plus-point games. NBC Sports/Rotoworld says his peripheral stats have improved a lot since he arrived in Toronto. He starts on a team that has begun 2-0 with strong defense.
The early scoring has come through free throws and two-point shots. He is 1-of-8 from three over two games, and he went 4-of-7 at the line in the opener. Rotowire's player blurb points to his poor free-throw shooting and lack of defensive stats. He shares the ball with Quickley, Barnes and Leonard, and the starting group is crowded. A blowout cut his opener to 26 minutes. The sample is two games.
Where analysts split
Broad agreement on his role as a starter. I found no analyst split on his role this season. The only open question is how steady his usage will be with Leonard, Barnes and Quickley all on the floor, and nobody I found has argued either side.
Research confidence: thin. Outlooks are grounded in web search over current reporting and refreshed through the season.
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