OG Anunoby made a splendid first impression Monday in New York, and RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley did the same north of the border.
While Anunoby as advertised helped the Knicks at both ends of the floor in an impressive win over the Timberwolves, Barrett enjoyed a strong homecoming and Quickley also played well as a starter in the Raptors home win over the Cavaliers.
“Man, the past two days, it’s been crazy. But [Monday] it was a lot of fun,” said Barrett, a Toronto native who received a standing ovation during pregame introductions. “[The crowd reaction] meant a lot. I’m the hometown kid and just coming in and trying to get a win for the fans. trying to win for the country, it felt great.
“Getting the win and just the way we started the game, lots of energy, carried us out throughout the game, they made a push, they made a run, and we were able to stay strong and get the dub. This was a special one and I’m always going to appreciate that.”
While Barrett scored 19 points with nine rebounds in 29 minutes, Quickley — the runner-up for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award last season — made his first start of this season and finished with 14 points and went 2-for-5 from 3-point range in 28 minutes.
[The coaches told me to] just be myself,” Quickley said. “They wanted me here for a reason. I’m going to take full advantage of it, day-to-day, and continue to get better.
“It’s almost like playing pick-up [basketball] a little bit, but if you’re playing with great players, it makes your job a lot easier, so credit to guys they made it easy for me.”
Knicks forward Julius Randle posted a video to his Instagram story on Monday night of him watching Barrett and Quickley’s debut, with the caption, “Let’s go lil bros.”
Barrett also talked about rooting for the Raptors growing up and attending games at what is now called ScotiaBank Arena.
His father, former St. John’s player Rowan Barrett, is the GM of Team Canada basketball, and RJ played for the national squad at the FIBA World Cup in the summer.
“I remember watching DeMar [DeRozan] and Jose Calderon and I remember when Kyle Lowry came over. Just a lot of early memories of just going to the games, being a fan, always being excited,” Barrett said. “So to be here playing on the court now it’s gonna be different.”
Malachi Flynn, part of the Knicks’ return from trade with the Raptors, remains out for Wednesday’s home game with a sprained right ankle. Zach LaVine (foot), Nikola Vucevic (adductor) and Torrey Craig (Plantar Fascia sprain) sat out Chicago’s game Tuesday against the 76ers.