The Raptors don’t have many reasons to believe in much more beyond a rebuild this season, though forward Scottie Barnes undoubtedly offers some hope. And he’s not even there.
Per Eric Koreen of The Athletic, Barnes has been excused from the start of camp due to a personal reason. On the bright side for Toronto, Barnes is expected back by the end of the week. The Raptors are holding camp in Montreal.
Toronto finished 25-5 last season and missed the playoffs. It’s safe to say expectations aren’t real high even with the likes of Barnes, wing RJ Barrett and guard Immanuel Quickley.
“I think we all know we’re not going to go and attack the championship this year,” center Jakob Poeltl told reporters. “It makes no sense for us to try to win every single game as much as we can and sacrifice development.”
So, the message already has been sent. A lot of times, “development” is nothing more than code for “we’re going nowhere, and fast, and really don’t have a plan.” But that doesn’t seem to be the case with the Raptors, who have some pieces around which to build. That starts with Barnes, of course. As for the team, things could get worse before they get better.
Barnes, 23, underwent surgery on his left hand in March. Before that, he appeared in 60 games and averaged 19.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.5 blocks, shooting 47.5% from the field and 34.1% on 3-pointers. He compiled 25 double-doubles and four triple-doubles.
Barnes has career averages of 16.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.0 blocks. He was the fourth overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft out of Florida State and won the 2021-22 Rookie of the Year Award.
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