On March 19, Beijing time, the NBA regular season, the Raptors lost 123-128 at home to the Lakers. In this game, the Raptors' Barnes performance exploded, he played 42 minutes, 14 of 21 shots, 4 of 4 three-pointers, 2 of 2 free throws, and cut 31 points, 17 rebounds, 6 assists and 1 steal.
After the game, James praised Barnes by name. James said: "When Barnes was in 7th grade, I watched Barnes play. Barnes was a point guard at the time, but his arm span and body type were impressive. It was a pleasure to see Barnes being able to play out. ”
In an interview with Barnes, the reporter mentioned the matter and asked Barnes: "When you were a child, did you have a poster of James at home?" What does James mean to you? ”
Barnes replied: "I'm an avid Kobe fan, so I'm more of a competitor with James, but James has given a lot to basketball and he's a Hall of Famer. ”
"He's a guy who has a huge impact in basketball and he's paved the way for a lot of tall people like me. He can dribble and do most things on the pitch. So, he has a big influence on a lot of young people like me. ”
Barnes's wave of answers not only shows his fanatical identity, but also does not forget to tout James, which can be described as emotional intelligence. As this year's No. 4 pick, Barnes averaged 15.5 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game, making him a favourite for the Best Rookie award.