RJ Barrett is ready to make room for Kawhi Leonard

The arrival of Kawhi Leonard in Toronto changes quite a lot, especially for players who were used to carrying a significant offensive workload last season. One of them is RJ Barrett, who does not seem particularly concerned about having to share the ball with another superstar.

Kawhi has yet to make his Preseason debut, and Toronto is taking a cautious approach with his return. Once he is ready, however, coach Darko Rajakovic will have to figure out how to make Leonard coexist with Scottie Barnes and Barrett, two of the team’s biggest contributors last season.

If Barnes continues to be a focal point because of his ability to do a little bit of everything, Barrett could see fewer shots and a different role than in the past.

After the win over the Los Angeles Clippers, the Canadian explained that he has no problem adapting to what the team needs. After all, he has already played alongside several high-level talents over the course of his career.

I’ve already played with some really good players: BI (Brandon Ingram, en), Brunson, Shai, Julius Randle, Zion. I’ve been fortunate, and especially in this system, stepping up when needed or finding other ways to help the offensive flow and defensive stability is what I’ll try to do: find my place, understanding what the team needs on any given night

RJ Barrett

In short, Barrett is ready to do whatever is needed, without worrying too much about how many shots he will get. When Leonard is on the floor, he will be able to focus more on other areas of the game, while on nights when Kawhi is unavailable, he will have to take on more offensive responsibility again.

Since arriving in Toronto, Barrett has probably played the best basketball of his NBA career, finding consistency and an important role with his hometown team.

Now he faces a different challenge: continuing to make an impact with Kawhi Leonard alongside him. And for Rajakovic, having a player willing to adapt without making a fuss is certainly good news.