He is looking like the fourth-option on this struggling Raptors' offense, and they need more from him in order to beat the best teams in the NBA.
The Toronto Raptors defeated the Dallas Mavericks 122-92 Sunday evening, ending a two-game losing streak. After suffering crushing losses to four of the top-10 teams in the NBA over a five-game stretch, the Raptors were able to bounce back to a stressless win over the rebuilding Mavericks.
RJ Barrett was the leader for Toronto in this contest, contributing 31 points on 13-for-19 shooting with six rebounds and three field goals from beyond the arc. In his first 30-point game of the season, he led all scorers and achieved the 8,000-point career milestone. After struggling greatly when returning from separate knee and ankle injuries, he has begun to really find his groove again, averaging 21.7 points and 6.0 rebounds on 56.7% shooting and 46.7% from three over the last six games (via StatMuse).
Toronto Raptors guard/forward RJ Barrett (9) | © Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
While he has performed well recently, the Raptors have significantly lacked consistency on the offensive end, especially when playing against the league’s best. The typical game plan equates to giving the ball to two-time All-Star Brandon Ingram and letting everyone play around him, however that has not proven to be the key to success.
In the wake of their late-game struggles, head coach Darko Rajakovic answered questions regarding the franchise’s superstar, Scottie Barnes, and his offensive role.
“We always want to receive more from Scottie [Barnes],” said Rajakovic. “He’s the type of player that brings so much for us on the defensive end … He still has to do that and be efficient for us on the offensive end. That starts with transition, running, and being able to touch the paint … We expect that from him, and he expects that from himself.”
When assessing Barnes’ overall offensive ability, it’s rather strange that he averages as few shot attempts as he does. Ingram may be the dominant shot-taker with Quickley and Barrett getting their attempts as well, but the two-time All-Star should be seeing looks in all aspects to break down the defense.
His diverse skill set allows him to be both the ball-handler or roller in a pick-and-roll action, along with his ability to get downhill in transition or play from the post in the halfcourt. He hasn’t shot the ball particularly well this season, but he has proven from time to time that he can be a capable outside shooter, especially off the catch rather than the bounce. These opportunities come with off-ball movement, particularly when the offense regularly gets more stagnant in the fourth quarter.
Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (4) | © Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Barnes may be capable of all these different ways to score, but the reality is he needs the conditioning to be able to do so. That’s not to say that he isn’t well conditioned, but it hasn’t really been determined what level of energy he is able to exert offensively because of his immense impact on the defensive end. Making a case for Defensive Player of the Year requires incredible effort and intensity, so being able to match that on the other side is a skill not many possess. With the Raptors’ record of 1-17 against the top-10 teams, outside of the pre-James Harden Cleveland Cavaliers, the team may require him to give more offensively if they want to have a chance to compete in the postseason.