The Toronto Raptors suffered an embarrassing loss at the hands of the lowly San Antonio Spurs 122-99 on Feb. 12.
Before the game clock hit triple zeros, Scottie Barnes left the Raptors’ bench and headed to the locker room.
The All-Star was clearly frustrated with his poor performance and the Raptors loss:
Game isn’t even over and Scottie’s outta here! #WeTheNorth pic.twitter.com/EIs10FvKiW
— Doc Naismith ℠ (@DocNaismith) February 13, 2024
This caused and uproar amongst fans and it was speculated if the Raptors would discipline the third-year player for his actions.
However, Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic said that Barnes leaving the bench early was a misunderstanding. He said Barnes thought there was a shot clock violation and the game was over via TSN’s Josh Lewenberg.
“It was a bad look,” said Barnes at practice. “It was a mistake on my part.
“If it affected them in any way, it’s a mistake by me.”
Barnes is now the face of the Raptors franchise after the team decided to head towards a rebuild. The Raptors traded O.G. Anunoby and Pascal Siakam so Barnes is now Toronto’s No. 1 scoring option.
Barnes is still trying to adjust to his new role. He has had great outings like the triple-double he posted against the Cavaliers on Feb. 10. But then he has had some rough performances. Barnes only scored 7 points on 3-15 shooting against the Spurs. He also had 5 turnovers and his body language looked off.
Barnes talked about his frustration during the Spurs game via Lewenberg:
“I had 3-4 turnovers in the 1st quarter and it led to easy fast-break points. Showing emotion and not getting back, it cost us. It’s more me being frustrated with myself and the way I’m playing, not really anything to do with anybody else.”
Barnes’ numbers this season
The 22-year-old is averaging 19.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game this season and he will be making his first all-star game appearance this weekend in Indiana.
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