The main takeaway from yet another tough, close Raptors loss, this one in Detroit on Monday, is that Scottie Barnes appears to be right back in form. Barnes missed a lot of time, but has mostly hit the ground running. He shook off a quiet half in Cleveland on Sunday and played like an all-star there and he was the best player on the court against Detroit, with apologies to Jaden Ivey.
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The Raptors need Barnes to play like he did against the Pistons. He was aggressive from the start. He attacked, found his teammates and even hit three three-pointers, which doesn’t happen often. Barnes scored 31 points, one off his career high, but also dominated the glass with 14, had seven assists and only one turnover and didn’t commit a foul.
Every Raptor but Jonathan Mogbo (2-of-3) shot under 50% from the field, but Barnes was only one make shy of hitting half of his 26 attempts. Barnes has only attempted more shots once in his career, but with Immanuel Quickley and Gradey Dick out, he’s the best option to launch early and often, especially if his outside attempts are falling.
This is the Barnes the Raptors need now and moving forward. When he imposes his will, he’s hard to stop.
NOT THE ROAD WARRIOR
RJ Barrett’s Jekyll and Hyde season continues to baffle. At home Barrett has played at an All-NBA level, averaging nearly 30 points a game. On the road, he’s been at a replacement level. That includes 7-for-19 shooting (1-for-6 from three-point range) and more fouls or turnovers than assists against Detroit. It’s remarkable that the same player can be so outstanding in Toronto and struggle so much everywhere else.
There’s plenty of blame to go around for Toronto’s 0-10 road record, but Barrett’s play is up there, just as he’s a huge reason the team has been solid at home so far.
SHUFFLING IT UP
Dick’s absence allowed the Raptors to go with a more traditional look, re-inserting Davion Mitchell to play point guard, taking some of the ball-handling responsibilities off the plates of Barnes and Barrett. Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic had already made a move to put Mitchell back with the starters (he’s started 13-of-18 games this season) to begin the third quarter in Cleveland, with Ochai Agbaji moving to the bench. With Dick out, Agbaji also started on Monday.
The Raptors should be cautious with Dick, who is having a strong sophomore season but playing a lot more basketball than he ever has before. There’s no need to rush as they don’t want the injury to linger. And if it takes a bit, it will be easier for Rajakovic to find minutes for Bruce Brown and Ja’Kobe Walter on this trip and to keep Jamal Shead in the rotation too.
If the Raptors ever get fully healthy Rajakovic’s decisions will get even more difficult. He’s said he wants to give as many players as possible opportunities, unlike how most teams do things, since this is a developmental season, but that won’t be easy.
SO MANY INJURIES
As noted by The Score’s Joseph Casciaro, with Dick joining Immanuel Quickley on the sidelines, Monday marked the 12th time in 18 games that Toronto was without at least two of the players who would start if head coach Darko Rajakovic could choose from everyone available. The team has been without at least one of those starters in every game so far.
The Raptors lead the NBA in total games and days missed by players this season. The team right behind them, the New Orleans Pelicans, got CJ McCollum back in Monday’s loss and will also get star guard DeJounte Murray back for the first time since opening night just in time to face the Raptors on Wednesday. But Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, Herbert Jones and Jose Alvarado are all hurt.
MOGBO MAKING A MARK
Jonathan Mogbo has been a big-time presence at times in his rookie season, not impactful in others. That’s usually how it goes for players picked outside of the lottery, or in Mogbo’s case, to lead off the second round. But he’s shown enough flashes that the Raptors have to be pretty thrilled. Mogbo has a strong defensive game in Sunday’s loss in Cleveland and added one huge offensive quarter in that game, scoring 11 points on 3-of-4 shooting and 4-of-4 free throw shooting in the second quarter. Mogbo even hit a three-pointer, only his second on nine tries all season. Then Mogbo did it again on Monday, hitting another three-pointer against Detroit, while also playing his usual good defence in limited action (including no time in the third quarter and only a brief stint in the fourth). Mogbo’s 13 points against Cleveland were his most so far and the third time he’s cracked double figures, but it’s the defence and rebounding that really pop when watching him. He’s already excellent on the offensive glass, a switchable, rangy defender and is also getting to the free throw line a lot. He’s still pretty raw, with a lot of upside too.
@WolstatSun