Scottie Barnes Sets Championship Expectations for Toronto Raptors

The Toronto Raptors suffered a 128-109 loss to the Denver Nuggets in their third contest of a four-game road trip. After storming back late in the fourth quarter to capture a win against the Los Angeles Clippers, Toronto put itself in too deep of a hole last night to have a chance. Denver rattled off 41 points to Toronto’s 15 in the third quarter, good for the most points in any quarter this season for the Nuggets (via StatMuse) and tied for the lowest for the Raptors (via StatMuse).

Two-time All-Star Scottie Barnes has been putting on a show this season offensively, but last night wasn’t spectacular. After averaging 30 points per game in the last four contests, he scored just 17 points against Denver, including zero in the fourth quarter. 

TSN reporter Kate Beirness caught up with the former No. 4 pick in the 2021 NBA draft to ask about his offseason, along with his expectations for the year.

“[The expectation is] for sure championship,” said Barnes. “We got to get over that hump in the playoffs first. But I feel like our expectations is championship.”

Expectations for this Raptors squad have varied depending on who’s giving their opinion. Two-time Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard is now reconditioning after completing his recovery from left knee swelling, but the team has looked far from elite with him on the sidelines. They’ve played three high-level teams without him, the Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Lakers, and Nuggets, and suffered convincing losses in each game. 

November isn’t an ideal time for Leonard to be out; the Raptors face a gauntlet of tough teams coming up. After tomorrow’s NBA Cup matchup with the 1-7 Milwaukee Bucks, they play the Memphis Grizzlies, Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks twice, Washington Wizards, and finally the Detroit Pistons in seven straight games. The expectation is that Leonard will join the team sometime soon, but given how cautious Toronto will be with his injury management, it’s unknown just how many games he’ll be able to take the floor in.

If last year’s playoffs showed anything, it’s that the Raptors can hang their hat on the defense. While they lacked consistency in halfcourt offense, their on-ball pressure led to countless turnovers, even for one of the most elite backcourt duos in the league, Donovan Mitchell and James Harden. Whether Leonard is on the floor or not, the team needs to get back to their tenacious defensive identity in order to have a chance against the NBA’s top teams.