#scottie-barnes

#scottie-barnes

Scottie Barnes has been downgraded to doubtful for the Toronto Raptors' game against the Boston Celtics on Friday due to the right knee sprain he sustained in the fourth quarter against the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday. Barnes exited to the locker room to be examined by medical staff at roughly the 10 minute mark of the final frame, but returned for the final two minutes to aid in the Raptors' buzzer-beater win.

We kick things off in Washington, where the Raptors had a humbling road loss against then league-worst record holders, the Wizards (they picked up another win the following game against the Memphis Grizzlies). The play starts with a dribble handoff from Immanuel Quickley to Jamal Shead, and Barnes sets a pick after, rolls to the rim recieves a nice bounce pass from Shead and flushes home a dunk with two Wizards in the paint.

December 29, 2025 Ingram sits at 12th on the All-Star fan voting list currently at a total of 130,618. Ingram's flashy mid-range scoring and his recent late-game heroics have been enough to get the support of the fans early on. Ingram has posted averages of a team-high 22 points per game, 5.8 rebounds per game, and 3.8 assists per game this year.

Barnes is far too talented to never get on ball reps, yes, but he's also far too good a finisher, too big, too strong, to never be asked to set screens and roll with gumption towards the cup. His usage as a screener has gone way up from last season, and so too has his finishing. It's not even necessarily about how he's finished there - because he's gone up against some of the biggest frontcourts in the NBA

Cooper Flagg looked every bit like the generational talent he was billed as, meanwhile Collin-Murray Boyles was uncharacteristically passive in his debut and struggled to get his usually magnetic mitts on the ball, finishing with zero points. Alternatively Flagg ripped transition slams and step-back 3s on his way to an efficient 22 points, helping the Mavericks down the Raptors 139-129, dropping them to 1-2 on the season.

Quickley's defence continues to show real improvement in transition, where his aggression forced a turnover early. Early in the first quarter, he stood his ground impressively when Jabari Smith Jr. tried to post him up, showcasing added strength and discipline. Offensively, however, it was a rough night - his trademark floater deserted him, missing a few he normally converts with ease. Quickley still hasn't quite found his rhythm on that end of the floor.

Scottie Barnes' development has not been linear. After winning Rookie of the Year, he didn't improve much in year two. Then, in year three, he made a leap, earning his first All-Star nod. Then, last year was another step back. His efficiency was down, the team was not good, and there wasn't much consistency. He didn't look like someone coming off the best season of their career.

In addition, outside of Jakob Poeltl, who has been dealing with back spasms as well as an illness, no starter has played fewer minutes than Barnes, as he has consistently seen less time in the three games he has played in. When he has been on the court, he has looked visibly less burst-y and athletic than fans have become accustomed to seeing. His struggles have led to plenty of conversation, even on this site, about his role and mindset:

He is unquestionably a very strong defender, and he maintained his energy and tenacity in a lost season where he was tasked with a lot of on-ball responsibilities on offense. He is an elite rebounder, providing extra possessions on the offensive glass and closing out possessions on the other side (73rd & 94th percentile). He's a talented at rim finisher, especially when he's able to attack off the catch rather than his own dribble.

Darko's been really helpful. Obviously, I have a lot of high-level guys around me, so finding my niche isn't always easy. But everybody knows defence is what's going to get me on the floor. Being aggressive, confident, on both ends - that's what I'm focused on. They drafted me to be me, so that's the mindset I'm sticking with.