Knicks' RJ Barrett: 'I've Got to Be Better' as Canada Faces World Cup Decider

New York Knicks homegrown star RJ Barrett knows he'll have to be a major factor if Canada picks up a historic win on Sunday at the FIBA Basketball World Cup.

Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition. Fewer often expect a similar outcome from Canada's men's national basketball team in the FIBA Basketball World Cup.

Canada's international competition prowess has had trouble transferring from skates to sneakers: as it stands, the "Road Warriors" have one Olympic medal to their name, a silver in the 1936 Games in Berlin. They had never triumphed in the World Cup prior to this year's excursion in Asia, their best finish being a pair of consecutive sixths in 1978 and 1982. 

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Canadian management, headlined by general manager Rowan Barrett and head coach Jordi Fernandez, sought to change the perception of national basketball by bringing in the True North stars of the NBA. Newly-minted champion Jamal Murray (Denver) was too injured to make the trip but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City) was brought along for the ride along with veterans like Dillon Brooks (Houston), Luguentz Dort (Oklahoma City), Kelly Olynyk (Utah), and Barrett's own son, fifth-year New York Knicks talent RJ.

That group secured an undefeated trek in preliminary play, shocking Group H with wins over France, Latvia, and Lebanon. But an upset loss to Brazil on Friday has pushed Canada (3-1) into an instant win-or-go-home situation thanks to matching three-win marks among the second-round quartet. 

A win on Sunday in Jakarta (9:30 a.m. ET, ESPN+) will thrust Canada into the eight-team knockout tournament stage in Manila along with the winner of a Brazil-Latvia tilt, but standing in their way is Spain, the defending World Cup champions and the top-ranked team on FIBA's official rankings.

RJ Barrett: “I gotta just do what I do best. Be aggressive. Pick my spots around the floor…read the game
“…I’ve had some good games, some bad games; as long as we’re winning—that’s what matters. But I know that I’m a big part of it, so I gotta do better” https://t.co/aFUhE0WeVz

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) September 2, 2023

"We're very confident," Barrett said of the Canadian mindset entering Sunday's big weekend per video from Alex Adams of CBC Radio. "We had a bump in the road yesterday but we'll have another chance to get the job done and move on to Manila."

"We've already shown that we can play anybody and beat anybody. So we just have to do what we did today (in practice) and get better and come into tomorrow with a fresh mindset ready to win this game." 

Unlike his NBA career to date, the younger Barrett is far from a relative consolation prize, instead chosen to play a large role in the Canadian bid for both World Cup glory and an Olympic bid. They've been denied the latter in each of the last five tournaments, leading to an NBA-heavy revolution: All but five players (one being defending national college player of the year Zach Edey of Purdue) are currently stationed on an Association team. 

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That includes Barrett, who is not only hoping to secure national pride but build momentum toward a fifth season with the Knicks, one that will tip off a nine-figure extension he earned last summer. The final act of his rookie deal was a mixed bag and nothing to keep him out of almost every hypothetical trade for a superstar Knicks fans have conjured as they enter a legitimately hopeful period on the franchise timeline.

The World Cup slate has been an equally spotty trek for Barrett: he started with a 1-of-10 outing in the preliminary opener but escaped scrutiny thanks to the 30-point win over France that accompanied it. Barrett then shot over 61 percent from the floor in subsequent group wins over Latvia and Lebanon but was a dismal 1-of-8 against the Brazillians. 

Barrett acknowledged that, as a team, Canada must play "a full 40 minutes of basketball," a caveat he alluded to after he and the squad erased a 10-point first period deficit against Latvia to secure the group win. But Barrett admitted that any upset bid would require him to play better, especially with a major brand of history on the line.

"I've just got to do what I do best: just be aggressive, pick my spots right on the floor, just read the game," he said. "I've had some good games and bad games. As long as we're winning, that's what matters, but I know that I’m a big part of it, so I've got to be  better."

Barrett previously came up big when Canada took on Spain in a pre-World Cup exhibition in Granada, scoring 18 points in an 85-80 overtime triumph. The Ontario native shot 6-of-11 from the field in the win, including a perfect 3-of-3 in the extra session.