Toronto Raptors · 4 notes
Scottie Barnes bumped his knee and the Raptors kept him out for the entire second half. "We were cautious how much we're gonna play him," Darko Rajakovic said. Missing a couple of injured players, he also limited minutes for others in their first game back from a long break.
Toronto will gamble less on defense, Scottie Barnes said at practice, because teams got easy baskets off them: "We're going to continue to pressure, but I think we're going to be smart with it as well." Asked if they'll pick up less high on the floor, he wouldn't commit.
Scottie Barnes will carry a heavy load for Toronto, Darko Rajakovic said at practice: "We need Scottie to be a beast getting to the rim, scoring at the rim. We need Scottie to knock down his 3s." He accepts some nights Barnes will overpass or take too many shots.
Scottie Barnes and Collin Murray-Boyles can play center in small lineups, power forward or point guard, Kawhi Leonard said of his Toronto Raptors teammates. Coach Darko Rajakovic added that Murray-Boyles "worked so, so hard over the course of the summer on his shooting."