LeBron James on Scouting 21 Year Old Knicks Sensation RJ Barrett for Lakers: “I’ve Been on RJ for Quite a While Now. I Was in Toronto During the Summertime”

Published 02/06/2022, 7:30 AM EST

Over the years, LeBron James has been a leader for the teams that he has played on. We’ve seen James’ leadership for the Lakers, Cavs, and Heat, as he won 4 titles collectively with all three franchises. But it’s not just the in-game decisions that are a testament to the ‘King’s’ leadership.

James has also been equally involved in scouting players to help his team build a winning roster. In a post-game interview following the Lakers’ win over the Knicks, LeBron revealed a story of how he scouted and realized the talent of Knicks’ guard RJ Barrett.

LeBron James reveals the scouting story of RJ Barrett

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Following the overtime win over the Knicks, LeBron revealed a story about RJ Barrett after a reporter asked him what he thought of the Knicks’ rising star.

LeBron started off by explaining that Barrett had a great game right from the start, and hit critical shots, including the one that forced the game into overtime. Thereafter, he added that he had been watching Barrett for quite some time already.

“I’ve been on RJ for quite a while now. I was in Toronto during the summertime. I think he was a high-school junior or a senior, and there was a call to my agent Rich, who was my agent at the time, that there is a kid in Toronto that’s possibly next,” said LeBron.

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Furthermore, he added that he had agreed on a request for Barrett to workout with him in Toronto. Thereafter, LeBron mentioned that he was closely watching Barrett in high-school, college, and even in the NBA with the Knicks, and appreciated how Barrett has grown.

Barrett’s performance against LeBron’s Lakers

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RJ Barrett came out balling against the Lakers. He’d score 36 points in the game, with 17 of them coming in the 1st quarter. Added to this, Barrett grabbed 8 rebounds, dished out 5 assists, and shot 40% from beyond the arc. His biggest shot would come in the 4th quarter where he tied the game at 111 with a three-pointer.

In fact, it was RJ’s performance in the first half that allowed the Knicks to open a 15 point lead over the Lakers going into halftime. However, it was LeBron and the Lakers who’d put on a defensive show to restrict the Knicks to just 13 points in the 3rd quarter. The game would go into overtime only for the Lakers to outscore the Knicks 11-4 and take the victory.

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Written by:

Sameer is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. Having graduated from Manipal Institute of Technology, he has always had a keen interest in basketball and the numbers behind the game. With a goal to become a Sports Performance Analyst for a professional sports team, Sameer brings insights backed by data.

LeBron James on Scouting 21 Year Old Knicks Sensation RJ Barrett for Lakers: “I’ve Been on RJ for Quite a While Now. I Was in Toronto During the Summertime”

LeBron James reveals the scouting story of RJ Barrett

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Barrett’s performance against LeBron’s Lakers