The Toronto Raptors’ season is seemingly over, but not for Scottie Barnes.
Which is a puzzling decision with Toronto trying to lose games and position themselves better in the draft lottery.
It is no secret that Barnes is dealing with an injured right hand and clearly it is bothering him from producing offensively.
Frankly with other starters getting rest, Barnes being the face of the franchise, there is nothing to play for other than meeting the 65-game threshold for All-NBA honors which would trigger the supermax. However, at this stage there is virtually no chance that Barnes will crack an All-NBA team.
Barnes’ hand is prohibiting him from performing at a high level as he is only shooting 41 percent from the field and 24 percent from three-point range. Head coach Darko Rajakovic spoke to his struggles as of late, via TSN’s Josh Lewenberg:
“If you’re trying to shoot the ball with 3 fingers it changes your shot.”
If the 23-year-old was playing well then it could make this decision more logical. Due to his shooting woes, Barnes should be resting along with his other prominent teammates, but Rajakovic wants the forward to learn what it is like playing deep into the regular season, via Sports Illustrated’s Aaron Rose:
“Learning how to play deeper in the season is important for us”
Up to this point Barnes has suited up for 62 games, three games away from being eligible for postseason awards. However, the star is not putting up award-worthy numbers.
In his fourth season, he is averaging 18.9 points, a one point drop from last season. A career-worst 44 percent from the field and 26.3 percent from three-point range.
Next season is the focus for Toronto at this point with Brandon Ingram joining. But, it is hard to see logic in playing Barnes given his struggles this entire season as he could use time to regroup for next year.
Scottie Barnes helps keep Toronto school open with generous donation
Not many 23-year-old’s are given the keys to an NBA franchise, which is a ton of weight. Although, Scottie Barnes has taken advantage of this trust by giving back to the community.
A Toronto school was on the brink of closing and Barnes made a generous donation to keep its doors open.
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