Scottie Barnes has room for improvement, but occasional bad nights are acceptable. As the new face of the franchise for the Toronto Raptors, the 22-year-old Barnes is still learning and growing. However, his behavior after Monday’s 23-point loss to the San Antonio Spurs was not acceptable. With approximately 20 seconds left on the clock, Barnes left the bench and headed to the locker room. Despite the team’s poor performance, leaving early was not the right decision. Raptors coach Darko Rajaković sees this as a learning opportunity for the team. Toronto has dealt with similar situations before.
During the 2020 season, Pascal Siakam committed a frustration foul in the final moments of a game against the Philadelphia 76ers, resulting in him leaving the court and heading to the locker room with 26 seconds remaining. As a consequence, he was benched for the following game as a disciplinary measure. Although then-Raptors head coach Nick Nurse emphasized the importance of adhering to team values, Toronto has since moved on from that era. The current coach is less likely to publicly criticize players, including Barnes, who has not been subjected to harsh criticism this season. However, Barnes’ role as team leader must be addressed, as his performance may vary but his leadership must remain consistent.
