How many minutes he’ll play, how many shots he’ll get off, how many touches he’ll get, there’s a certain air of anticipation surrounding Scottie Barnes’ expected return this Friday when the Raptors resume their pre-season schedule with a tip against the host Washington Wizards.
When last seen on the court wearing a Raptors’ jersey, Barnes was hurt back on March 1 when the visiting Golden State Warriors and fan favourite Steph Curry were in town.
The home side lost the game.
In the remaining 22 games to close out the season, the Raptors won but three times, including a stretch that would see Toronto drop 15 in a row.
A hand injury sustained against the Warriors sidelined Barnes, who would later in the off-season sign a lucrative contract with the Raptors, as the team stated its goal to build around Barnes and his unique combo of size and skill.
Size and skill are two attributes that are in short supply with this Raptors edition, a group that will begin the franchise’s 30th anniversary with so little fanfare, other than the various events and marquee moments designed to celebrate the team’s past.
Whatever gains the 2024-25 unit is capable of reaching will rest on Barnes’ shoulders.
Exhibition play is a glorified exercise in futility, a chance for players not accustomed to getting extended minutes to showcase their talents, a chance to make an impression.
What’s known is that this iteration of the Raptors will be young when the ball gets tossed on opening night in a fortnight.
“I’m just happy to be playing again,’’ said Barnes when he convened with the media Wednesday.
“It’s been a really long time.”
In the team’s pre-season opener staged in Montreal on Sunday against the Wizards, Barnes sat out because of personal reasons.
“He’s gone through practice as normal, he’s been ramping up his work,’’ said head coach Darko Rajakovic.
“We expect him to play.”
On media day before the team headed off to Montreal to begin training camp, Barnes spoke of wanting to have more of a leadership voice with the unit.
As the undisputed face of the franchise, his words carry plenty of clout, but his on-court actions will speak even louder.
He took a major step last season, his third in the NBA, but more steps must be taken.
The one element to his game that showed the most improvement was Barnes’ perimeter shooting.
Definitive conclusions will not be made Friday, but it does represent Barnes’ first foray, even if it is the pre-season.
“I want to see he’s embracing his role,’’ added the head coach. “I want to see he’s playing for the team, he’s playing the right way, making the right decisions.
“I believe Scottie is a very unselfish player, a team-oriented player and I want him to continue being that. He’s making the right decisions more times than not. He also brings a lot of intensity to our defence, he’s a good rim protector as well.
“One of his goals is to improve his defence to an elite level where he’s being recognized as defensive player of the year.”
The latter seems a bit of a stretch, but there’s no harm in setting the bar as high as possible.
Barnes does have the size and athleticism to guard multiple positions.
It’s hard to envision Barnes staying in front of a small and explosive point guard, but the Raptors do have some intriguing options, though none is considered to be offensively gifted.
Barnes has shown he can score, but he has also shown an ability to create for his teammates when drawing extra defenders.
There’s really no true post option capable of getting buckets on the block, but Barnes’ size, especially in mismatches, can be lethal.
So far, Rajakovic has been impressed when watching Barnes put in the work and how the team’s go-to option has integrated with the team’s many new faces.
“His body looks amazing,’’ said Rajakovic. “He’s very explosive. He worked a lot this summer and I believe he improved a lot this summer.”
The summer schedule also allowed Barnes to ball with his teammates.
“I’ve been playing all summer getting to know each other, just trying to grow each and every single day,’’ said Barnes. “This will be another step when we get out there on the floor.
“Every day we play is another step.”
With RJ Barrett (shoulder) to miss the balance of the pre-season, with Immanuel Quickley (thumb) inching closer from his setback, Barnes will not have his main supporting cast Friday night.
Ideally, Quickley’s ability to run an offence will allow Barnes to play off the ball in certain sets.
In Barrett, Barnes will have an elite cutter to the rim, someone who can spot up and drill shots when defences are locked on Barnes.
There’s intrigue and some potential if all the parts eventually mesh, but no one is going to mistake the Raptors for title contenders, even if Barnes plays to an all-NBA level.
Baby steps must be made.
Rajakovic must keep Barnes accountable and not be fearful to get in his face when criticism is warranted.
As the team’s best player, Barnes has to lead by example.
The first glimpse of the 2024-25 version arrives Friday, albeit on the pre-season stage.
Toronto visits Boston Sunday and will play its first and only exhibition game at Scotiabank Arena next Tuesday night.