The Star · Mar 1, 2023
Raptors looking at Will Barton to help with scoring off the bench
The NBA is about relationships, histories and friendships that have endured as much as anything.
So as Will Barton weighed a handful of offers to finish out this regular season, the 11-year veteran looked back and the most logical place to land was in Toronto.
He’s known Raptors assistant coach Earl Watson for more than a decade — Watson was a veteran point guard for the Portland Trail Blazers charged with teaching the rookie Barton the lay of the land.
Barton had played two university seasons at Memphis — current Raptors forward Thad Young grew up in Memphis and the two would forge a bond over summer scrimmages that exists to this day and extends to AAU programs sponsored by the two NBA vets.