Raptors on rise as Scottie Barnes doing job at both ends early

The Raptors have flipped their season after a 1-4 start, winning seven of their last eight to move to 8-5.

Thursday’s win in Cleveland was their most impressive yet, and Scottie Barnes was the best player on the floor. He finished with 28 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and five blocks in 35 minutes.

“I know what I’m capable of, so just gotta bring that every single night,” Barnes said, per Sportsnet’s Michael Grange. “Be aggressive on both ends. Once I’m attacking downhill and drawing the defense, it just opens up a lot for our team.”

If Barnes keeps this up, Toronto becomes a problem in a wide-open Eastern Conference.

As Eric Koreen of The Athletic noted, he may have been miscast in past seasons as a No. 1 scoring option. The addition of Brandon Ingram has let Barnes lean into his all-around game and push the tempo in transition.

Head coach Darko Rajakovic said the box score only tells part of the story.

“When you look at 28 points and eight assists, that’s easy to identify he had a good game,” the Raptors coach said. “But defensively? Five blocks, the deflections, the rotations. He’s doing an outstanding job for us.”