Last season, the Toronto Raptors made Scottie Barnes their face of the franchise.
At 23-years-old, it is no easy task to be given the ‘keys’ to a team and lead by example. Frankly, Barnes still has so much to learn as a professional, plus developing his own game.
However, adding that responsibility forces the young star to take things more seriously. As Toronto navigates through this transition period, the front office will see if Barnes can handle it.
Unfortunately, the Raptors find themselves on the outside looking in, sitting at the 13th seed. Despite that, Barnes is focused on giving themselves a chance at the Play-In Tournament, via Josh Lewenberg of TSN:
“(Fans) can be excited about (the draft lottery). I don’t really give a damn about it. I’m trying to go out there and win games, try to possibly make something happen. So, they can be excited for that but my mindset’s in a different place.”
Losing is never easy regardless of a team’s circumstances and expectations. While organizationally, it may be in the best interest to get a high draft pick, the former Florida State one-and-done thinks Toronto still has a chance, via Lewenberg:
“I look at the standings every day. We’re still in that fight. We still could make something happen. That’s my motivation. When I look at it, I see that we still have a chance. We feel like we still want to win.”
This is how a franchise player should be carrying himself, regardless of how realistic these expectations are. NBA players play to win and Barnes is hammering that point home to his teammates.
Although, it remains to be seen if the Raptors can climb back to the No. 10 spot, this is a mentality that will matter when Toronto is potentially contending for the playoffs next season.
Scottie Barnes comments on Raptors trading for Brandon Ingram
A notable move the Raptors made at the trade deadline is trading for Brandon Ingram. Which brings another intriguing scoring option alongside Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett.
Barnes spoke about his excitement of Ingram being in Toronto.
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