Scottie Barnes Has Response Showing Raptors Need in Loss to Pacers

The Toronto Raptors saw Scottie Barnes play with the kind of leadership and intensity they've been looking for in Wednesday's narrow loss to the Indiana Pacers

Scottie Barnes is a quick learner.

For all the talk this season about learning experiences, it’s been tough at times to actually judge how much learning there’s been. There have been some bright spots. Gradey Dick, for example, has looked a lot better after a rough start. But it’s not like this Toronto Raptors team has suddenly taken a huge step forward.

But Barnes looked different in Wednesday’s 127-125 loss to the Indiana Pacers.

He’d been disinterested and disappointing on Monday night and his walk-off in the final seconds of Toronto’s embarrassing loss to the San Antonio Spurs only added to the concern that Barnes wasn’t ready to take on the spotlight in Toronto. It didn’t get any better when he tried to explain himself Tuesday afternoon, seemingly unaware of the magnitude of his actions.

Whatever was said to Barnes behind the scenes, though, seemed to click.

He was far more engaged against Indiana. He kept the Raptors’ offense ticking late, hooking up with Chris Boucher on an alley-oop to open the fourth. He followed that up with a driving layup and went at Pascal Siakam for a hook shot as Toronto eked ahead.

Even a pair of costly turnovers in the final minutes didn’t seem to faze Barnes too much. He pounded his head in frustration but got right back on defense and was engaged as the Pacers pulled ahead.

A toe-on-the-line pull-up two from Barnes with less than a minute to go allowed the Raptors to pull within one, but it was Siakam who nailed a driving layup to sink Toronto as an RJ Barrett turnaround floater couldn't fall to force overtime.

But Barnes’ play and response Wednesday showed promise. He was coaching up his new teammates from the bench, pointing out where they needed to be as he stood on the sideline playing assistant coach.

Defensively, Barnes’ voice was louder than normal. He orchestrated the defense from the back line, calling out rotations and keeping the Pacers in check early, at least relative to their season averages.

"He had a great voice with the whole team today. He was lifting his teammates," Raptors coach Darko Rajaković said.

It helped that Barnes played well.

He grabbed a defensive rebound in the first quarter and sped up the court, going right at Doug McDermott for a transition layup. He then beat Siakam with his speed, crossing up the Pacers’ defense, and then called his own number again for another transition dunk. In those moments, he showed the kind of selfishness the Raptors have been looking for from their All-Star forward.

“You’ve got to always be aggressive and looking to score and then read defenses, make your instincts take over,” Rajaković said of Barnes pre-game. “But first thing is playing with force and looking to score and then making those decisions if they’re over-helping.”

When the Pacers did send help, Barnes was at his best. He threw a stellar one-handed pass to Jakob Poeltl to put the Raptors up double digits in the second quarter.

"If they help I'm going to pass, if they don't help I’m looking to get to the rim," Barnes said. "Just try to make the right read every single time I come down the floor."

Barnes showed his teammates his appreciation after Chris Boucher got fouled driving to the rim, making sure to high-five his teammates on the court as the Raptors pulled ahead by six in the third.

But more impressive than how Barnes looked when he was thriving was how he dealt with his frustration when he struggled. At one point, he turned the ball over muffing a pass to Poeltl. Instead of complaining, he tapped himself on the chest as if to say ‘my bad’ and then gave Poeltl a high-five before getting back on defense while the Pacers inbounded the ball.

"It's going to be a ride. It's going to be a journey. I don't expect him to be perfect. But I expect him to learn from his mistakes, and not to make the same mistakes," Rajaković said of Barnes' response. "I want him to make a different mistake, and to learn from that one, and to get better."

It probably helped that Barnes was matched up against Siakam for most of the night, giving the game a little extra juice than your typical pre-All-Star Break contest.

Toronto gave the former face of the franchise a warm welcome during pre-game festivities, honoring him with a standing ovation and a tribute video. He waved back at the fans and offered thanks.

"I tried to just kind of stay focussed on the game and not think about anything as much as I could. But it's just hard, just coming in there, seeing so many familiar faces. To me, just reflecting on everything, from where I come from and just to be here in a place like this," Siakam said. "For me to come in here after eight years, just to see the reception, people being so genuinely happy for me — I think for me that was the most important thing."

Siakam looked like he’d never left. He single-handedly went on a 7-0 run in the third quarter, giving the Pacers a two-point lead on the kind of short mid-range jumper he was known for in Toronto. He led all Pacers with 23 points, seven rebounds, and five assists in 36 minutes.

But it was his successor that shined the brightest as Barnes finished the night with 29 points on 12-for-22 shooting with 12 rebounds, and eight assists in 36 minutes.

"I think obviously we know how talented he is and again like I'm super proud of him," Siakam said of Barnes. "Got that All-Star, like, I think it’s just the beginning".

Wednesday was exactly the kind of response Toronto needed from Barnes. In a season that’s going to be full of these learning moments, it’s important to know that he’s willing to take criticism and learn from it.

Maybe that’s a positive to come out of a news cycle of negativity. 

Up Next: Brooklyn Nets

The Raptors will have a week off for the All-Star Break before returning to host Dennis Schröder and the Brooklyn Nets next Thursday at 7 p.m. ET.