Scottie Barnes Looking to "Dominate" After Scoreless Outing vs. Timberwolves

After a 2-1 showing in the first week of the 2026-27 NBA regular season, the Toronto Raptors are already facing adversity as seven-time All-Star Kawhi Leonard is set to be out for a few weeks with left knee swelling. In the first contest without their newly acquired superstar, head coach Darko Rajakovic and his squad were immediately punched in the mouth and ultimately lost 117-94 to the Minnesota Timberwolves. 

Franchise cornerstone Scottie Barnes was the topic of conversation postgame due to his 0-for-12 shooting night. It marked the second time in his career that he was held scoreless, and after an offseason filled with hype around his expanded offensive arsenal, the critics let him hear it. 

When asked about his performance in the presser, Barnes was optimistic about his opportunities to improve moving forward. 

“Shots wasn’t falling; it is what it is,” said Barnes. “Still feel like I did a great job defensively; just come out with something positive … I missed a lot of open shots. All my threes [were] wide open. [The Timberwolves were] helping in [the paint], threes open. My middies wasn’t falling … couldn’t really try to get all the way to the rim … on defense, I feel like I still had a great impact … it is what it is, go to the next game, try to go dominate.” 

Dominating is exactly what the Raptors expect out of Barnes moving forward. With Leonard out, Toronto needs an alpha on offense that can go get a bucket at any given moment, especially when opposing teams are on runs. Before the Timberwolves game, Barnes was showing off his heightened willingness to take more jump shots. Specifically, he has done a much better job of getting to his spots in the midrange and making contested fadeaways like the best superstars are comfortable doing. 

The easiest way for Barnes to get back into a rhythm is to do what he’s best at: getting to the rim. He is very adept at using his 6-foot-8, 237-pound frame to bully his way through defenders, while also being an elusive ball-handler who is capable of finding his open teammates when the help arrives. Finding layups and dunks, as well as getting to the free-throw line, will allow him to work his way out to the midrange and three-point line later in the game. Being a three-level scoring threat will increase his overall gravity and make the floor much more open for his teammates to operate when given the opportunities.

His first chance to give the fans a fresh view of his game comes tonight against the Orlando Magic at 7:30 PM EDT, who will be without superstar forward Paolo Banchero. The former No. 4 pick in the 2021 NBA draft publicly expressed his frustration after being snubbed from the three All-NBA teams last season. If he wants to avoid controversy again this year, his campaign to be seen as a top player in the league needs to come from a significant offensive jump, since he’s already expected to be a top-five defender. His ability to bounce back from last game will be an early test that he needs to pass with flying colors if he and this team want to be considered a threat this season.