When does Cooper Flagg start playing?
That was the sentiment among Toronto Raptors fans Wednesday night, as the optimism of a new season was dashed to pieces on the rocks of a blowout loss. The Raptors hosted the Cleveland Cavaliers and were absolutely demolished, with a 36-17 second quarter blowing the game open for Cleveland. In the end, the final score was 136-106, a truly embarassing showing from the Raptors.
Playing without RJ Barrett, Bruce Brown and Kelly Olynyk, the Raptors didn't have answers on either end of the court for a playoff team like the Cavaliers. Evan Mobley was dominant in every facet of the game, scoring a game-high 25 points with nine rebounds, two steals and three blocks. Donovan Mitchell had 21 points, Caris LeVert had 19 and Jarrett Allen chipped in four blocks as Cleveland dominated in the paint.
Who played well for the Raptors in a losing effort, and who fell flat on their face? Let's look at the "studs and duds" from the Opening Night loss.
Scottie Barnes was a dud
The reason that the Toronto Raptors had hope coming into the season of making some noise in the Eastern Conference was Scottie Barnes, who developed into a two-way star last season and had the potential to take another step forward this year. Perhaps that step forward will come, but in the first game of the season it was a substantial step backward for Barnes.
Playing against his 2021 Draft class foil in Evan Mobley, Scottie Barnes was outclassed. He shot just 3-for-14 from the field and scored only nine points, and was a game-worst -33 in his 26 minutes. His shot looked terrible, he could work his way to open shots, and he was something of a mess defensively as well. When he and Mobley were matched up it was usually Mobley getting the better of him.
If the Raptors are going to go anywhere this year, Barnes has to be their best player. On Wednesday night, he was one of their worst.