He may not be with the New York Knicks anymore, but RJ Barrett is still finding ways to be effective on the basketball floor, whether that’s on the NBA or international stage.
Barrett spearheaded the Canadian national team to a major victory over Greece in their 2024 Summer Olympics opening game in Group A, as New York Knicks on SI’s Geoff Magliocchetti pointed out on Saturday.
Former Knicks star RJ Barrett led Canada to key win over Greece in 2024 Olympics opener
The Canadians were able to come away with an 86-79 victory over Greece thanks to Barrett’s team-high 23 points on the affair. He shot an efficient 8-13 from the floor and found the bottom of the net on all six of his free throw attempts.
Barrett added four rebounds, three assists and one steal to his output on the affair. He had the hot hand for Canada and took the most shots, even over 2024 NBA MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who followed close behind him in the scoring department with 21 points of his own.
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Barrett’s scoring helped Canada establish an early lead they wound up hanging onto
The Duke product was instrumental in Canada taking a 10-point lead at the half, scoring 13 of his 23 points in the first 20 minutes of action. Behind his efforts, Canada improved to 1-0 to kick things off in Paris, France. This marks the first appearance for the Canada Men’s National Basketball Team in the Summer Olympics since 2000. That year’s qualifying team went 4-1 to win Group B before losing 68-63 to France in the quarterfinals.
Barrett looked like the improved scorer he blossomed into in 2023-24 with the Knicks before being traded to the Toronto Raptors midseason. Now with last season in his rearview mirror, the 24-year-old will look to help lead his national team to a second straight win in their next matchup. Per Magliocchetti, Canada will square off against Australia in their second group-stage matchup in Group A on Tuesday.
