It wasn’t the type of start to the season Scottie Barnes was expecting.
Barnes turned in a forgettable performance on opening night. He scored just 9 points on 3-for-14 shooting from the field and 0-for-2 shooting from three.
Barnes also had 2 turnovers and was a game-worst -33.
“Just got an ass-whopping today, we just gotta bounce back from this, get better from it,” Barnes told reporters after the game.
Barnes seemed disengaged from the jump and wasn’t able to get it going. The fourth year player did not look like his old self and appeared to be flustered. His counterpart Evan Mobley dominated the head-to-head matchup scoring 25 points on 9-for-14 shooting.
Despite his bad performance, Barnes still believes in himself and his teammates.
“We’re not going to get down on ourselves, we practice really hard, worked really hard this summer to you know to try to get ready for these moments. We’re really connected group, this is a super connected group and we’re going to keep our heads high,” he said.
The Raptors committed to Barnes as the cornerstone of their franchise so there are high expectations on him to deliver. Not only does he need to be a top performer, but he also needs to be a leader and set a good example for his teammates.
Barnes starting the season flat isn’t encouraging, but Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic doesn’t seem too concerned.
“We believe in Scottie we know what kind of player he is and how he can contribute to [the] team, he will be just fine,” Rajakovic said.
Barnes will look to bounce back when the Raptors host the Philadelphia 76ers on Oct. 25.
ESPN ranks Scottie Barnes no. 35 in top 100 list
Barnes is expected to be one of the game’s best players. ESPN recently put out their annual NBA Rank top 100 list and they ranked him at No. 35 ahead of some big names.
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