The bond between RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley has always been defined by a specific kind of resilience. First forged under the bright lights of New York City and now serve as the foundation for the Toronto Raptors’ future, the duo shares a “next play” mentality that transcends box scores.
After a hard-fought victory in last week’s win against the Charlotte Hornets—sealed by a signature Quickley triple off a screen—the familiarity between the two former Knicks was on full display. For Barrett, seeing Quickley’s late-game heroics isn’t just a highlight; it’s a continuation of a mindset they developed together in the Eastern Conference trenches.
The “Who Cares” Mentality
When asked if Quickley’s late-game “swag” in a Raptors uniform mirrors their early days in New York, Barrett pointed to a shared philosophy on volume and confidence. Despite a tough shooting night collectively, the focus remained on the process rather than the misses.
“Yeah. If you look, I was 12 for 25, he was 8 for 18,” Barrett noted. “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 their New York tenure for thickening their skin. In a market where every missed jumper is scrutinized, the duo learned to ignore the noise—a trait that has followed them north of the border.
“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,” Barrett said. “If you’re missing good open shots, keep shooting them, they’re gonna fall at some point, and that’s what happens to them.”
Clutch Performance vs. The Numbers
While Quickley handles the perimeter late in games, Barrett is often tasked with bruising his way to the rim and sealing games at the charity stripe. Despite historical fluctuations in his free-throw shooting—ranging from a 61.4% low in his rookie year to a peak of 83.1%—Barrett remains unfazed by the analytics.
When confronted with the “inconsistency” noted by sites like Basketball-Reference, Barrett leaned into his identity as a “clutch” performer rather than a statistical darling. He isn’t overanalyzing the mechanics; he’s trusting the work.
“If you go look at them in the clutch, I make it a high clip,” Barrett told Scoop B. “I don’t know. I don’t know, man. They look good. Sometimes in and out. Sometimes they hit all different parts of the rim. I know right now, just coming back, I’ll figure it out.”
A Shared Future
The transition from the Knicks to the Raptors has changed the jersey colors, but the dynamic remains the same. Whether it is Quickley’s eighth career game-winner or Barrett’s ability to “figure it out” at the line when the game is on the line, the two remain anchored by the grit they learned at MSG. For Toronto fans, that “who cares” attitude might be exactly what the team needs to build its next era.
