Darko Rajakovic Makes Bold Scottie Barnes Claim During Training Camp

Training camp is underway for the Toronto Raptors in Quebec City as they prepare to make a noticeable jump in 2027. After falling to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs last season, they expect to make a deep playoff run now that seven-time All-Star Kawhi Leonard is back with the franchise. 

It may be unreasonable to put all of the pressure on a 35-year-old with injury issues. That’s where franchise cornerstone Scottie Barnes comes into play. After finishing at fifth place in the DPOY voting last season, he is continuing to expand his overall offensive abilities and will be tasked with doing it all on both ends. 

Possibly Barnes’ biggest supporter is none other than his head coach, Darko Rajakovic. Last season, he talked about the sky being the limit for him, with the possibility of winning all major accolades on the table at some point in his career. That confidence has not wavered so far in training camp, as displayed by his attitude when speaking with reporters. 

“I don’t expect [Barnes] to be as good as last year; I expect him to be better,” said Rajakovic. “He’s ready for the next jump for him, and he’s gonna carry our team … [the next jump includes] Everything: the playmaking, him playing in transition, post-ups, shooting, every single aspect of his game; he’s been working on that … I think Scottie wants to be the best … He has such a high standard for himself, and he’s putting [in] a lot of work.”

Barnes wasn’t shy on media day when speaking on how much he believes in himself. He specifically talked about feeling disrespected by the voters because of his All-Defensive Second-Team selection and snub for all three All-NBA teams. There’s no denying the leap that the former No. 4 pick in the 2021 NBA draft took last season; he went from a fringe All-Star to one of the most impactful players in the league on both ends. 

Heading into next season, it may be unreasonable to expect another jump of a similar level, but that doesn’t mean he can’t continue to improve. Offensively, the former Florida State Seminole showed off his newfound ability to be an adept playmaker. Increasing his aggression in attacking the basket forced more help defense and double teams, so learning to find his open teammates was a necessary improvement that showed to be extremely impactful towards the Raptors’ success. 

The next step is to hone in on his jump-shooting ability. Improving his three-point efficiency is something that could revolutionize the Raptors’ offense, but a more realistic (and potentially impactful) aspect is getting to his spots on the floor and scoring at will. Being able to consistently go to a particular set of moves or places on the floor at the end of games is how Toronto can finally set itself apart from other contenders. While that task lied in two-time All-Star Brandon Ingram’s hands last season, it became too predictable at times, and he lacked the physicality to combat the aggressive defense.

Not only does Barnes have the physique to bully his way around the court, he now has one of the greatest mentors there is by his side. Leonard has proven to be one of the most clutch players in the game, and his ability to score whenever and wherever he wants at the end of games is a skill that he should hopefully be able to help Barnes with throughout the course of this season. If Barnes can learn as many believe he will, the Raptors very well could be on their way to contending for a championship sooner than the league may be ready for.