Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley continue to shine for the Toronto Raptors.
Thursday night featured a test against a Golden State Warriors team that is streaking since acquiring Jimmy Butler.
With Toronto expected to try and tank for better draft odds, head coach Darko Rajakovic opted to play his young stars 30 minutes each.
For Barnes, he put up 29 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists on 11-for-16 shooting from the field and 1-for-2 from three-point range.
On the other hand, Quickley put up 21 points, 4 rebounds and 8 assists on 8-for-17 shooting from the field and 3-for-7 from distance.
Currently, the Raptors are 5 games back of the 10th seed. The Play-In Tournament seems unrealistic, so playing and evaluating young talent should be on the mind of Rajakovic.
However, it does not hurt to get Barnes and Quickley reps together because injuries have prevented chemistry.
Next year is what truly matters with Brandon Ingram expected to enter the fold. Building up their confidence heading into the offseason is not a bad idea.
Especially for Quickley, who suited up for his 28th game of the year on Thursday. His own personal injuries have hampered his development as a point guard.
In those games, the 25-year-old is averaging 17.3 points and 5.6 assists on 42.6 percent shooting from the field and 37.2 percent from three-point range.
Meanwhile, Barnes is continuing to figure out what it takes to be a No. 1 option. He is only 23-years-old, so growing pains will continue to come his way.
But, he is also navigating what it is like to be the face of a franchise. Experience is the best teacher and hopefully having good performances like the one against the Warriors helps.
Darko Rajakovic praises Scottie Barnes’ defense
Having a two-way player like Scottie Barnes that embraces playing defense inspires others to follow his lead. As a franchise player, his teammates look up to him and Barnes is continuing to navigate that as a young player.
Head coach Darko Rajakovic is taking notice of his star player’s defense and tried to spread awareness.
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