Hours before Wednesday's 7:30 p.m. game against the Raptors at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Knicks shooting guard RJ Barrett revealed during shootaround that he plans to play for Team Canada over the summer after his rookie season wraps up.
Barrett's head coach, David Fizdale, fully supports the move as Barrett aims to help Team Canada's pursuit for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
"I love it," Fizdale said, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. "I think those experiences really help those guys. It gives them an opportunity to see how other very good basketball players work and you're playing against the best in the world."
Barrett did not play for Team Canada the past summer in the FIBA World Cup due to injury, but he has played for the men's national program previously and as a younger player.
Rowan Barrett Sr., his father, captained Team Canada for the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney and is the national team manager. The younger Barrett, as he returned to Toronto for the midweek game between the Knicks (4-13) and the Raptors (12-4), intends to follow in those footsteps.
Barrett, the No. 3 overall pick in June's 2019 NBA draft, has averaged 15.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists through his first 16 career games. He is shooting 41.3 percent from the field and 34.7 on three-pointers.