Blue Jays fan RJ Barrett ready for own playoff run with Raptors

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‘It’s inspiring. You saw the whole country get behind it.’

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Published Mar 28, 2026  •  2 minute read

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Raptors’ RJ Barrett scores against the Pelicans during first half NBA action in Toronto, Friday, March 27, 2026. Photo by Chris Young /THE CANADIAN PRESSArticle content

RJ Barrett hung on every pitch during the surprising Toronto Blue Jays run to Game 7 of the World Series. The Mississauga product is a fan of the club and enjoyed the ride, like most Canadians. But he viewed it from a different perspective than most, picturing himself and his Raptors teammates going on their own playoff journey.

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“A couple of months from now, that’s going to be us. That’s the mindset,” Barrett had said back at Raptors media day in the fall.

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“Obviously happy for them, cheering for them for sure. We’re all about winning over here.”

Cusp of NBA dream

Now, many months later, the Blue Jays are back and Barrett is on the cusp of living one of his NBA dreams, experiencing the playoffs as a member of a team he grew up watching.

“It’s inspiring. You saw the whole country get behind it, man,” Barrett told the Toronto Sun of watching the Jays’ journey. “It was amazing. Hopefully this year they go all the way.”

Some had thought Barrett was too optimistic when he’d predicted this Raptors team would also do well this season. After all, they were coming off two dismal campaigns and hadn’t been close to the post-season since acquiring Barrett and Quickley from the New York Knicks. But with only nine regular season games to go, the Raptors should qualify (at worst they’d get a chance in the play-in to get to the playoffs).

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‘We’re fighting so hard’

And Barrett said he wants to know what it will feel like. “Absolutely. That’s why we’re fighting so hard, got to continue to do our job to make sure that we can get there,” he said after Friday’s win over New Orleans.

Barrett doesn’t have extensive playoff experience. He made the post-season in his second year with the Knicks (a quick five game exit) and again a couple of years later when the team dispatched Cleveland in five before falling to eventual league finalist Miami in six. He’s happy Toronto controls its own destiny down the stretch, sitting in fifth place in the Eastern Conference, ahead of the other playoff and play-in challengers.

“I kind of like it, because if you go handle your job, then you don’t got to worry,” Barrett told the Sun of the final stretch, which includes two games against Miami (10th place) and one Sunday against Orlando (ninth).

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