Brandon Ingram was the Raptors’ leading scorer in the regular season, putting up 21.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. So, it was quite a disappointment when he failed to make the same impact in the playoffs. He only reached the 20-point mark once, even finished two games with single-digit points, and just generally struggled to get to his spots. He then missed the last two games with a heel injury.
Ingram’s playoff debut with the Raptors left the team contemplating a massive what-if. What if Ingram had been healthy and playing well? Would they have won their first-round series?
However, looking back, Ingram’s struggles may actually have been for the best. It forced Scottie Barnes to step up as the guy on the team, although others, like RJ Barrett, also carried their fair share of the load. Barnes averaged 24.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 8.6 assists, 1.7 blocks, and 1.1 steals per game in the playoffs, taking his offense to another level while still excelling on defense.
That experience will help Barnes when—or if—Kawhi Leonard joins the team. Between load management, injuries, and a possible suspension, Leonard is bound to miss games. When he’s not available, Barnes will have to be a number-one guy on both ends of the floor. If he is up to the challenge, it will be in large part because he had to do the same in the playoffs.
Bringing in Kawhi Leonard is a massive bet on Scottie Barnes
The Raptors’ plans to bring Leonard back to Toronto and build a contender around a 35-year-old are a bold bet on Barnes’s ability to be a leader on and off the court, someone who can be a top-two player on one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference when Leonard is available and a number-one option when he isn’t.
That’s a lot to ask from a 24-year-old, but the playoffs inspired confidence that Barnes could be just that. He would be overtaxed as the number-one guy if he had to do it for a full regular season and the playoffs. But that’s where Leonard comes in. He can be the best offensive player on the team while Barnes focuses on defense and doesn’t step too far out of his comfort zone on the other end.
However, Leonard will miss a bunch of time in the regular season, and the Raptors have no one player who can make up for almost 30 points per game and the high level of shot creation Leonard brings. The Raptors’ best bet of surviving those absences is to lean on their defense and trust that Barnes can step up as he did in the playoffs, while RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley add just enough offense to outscore opponents.
The experience from those seven games of stepping up at the highest level, with his team’s season on the line, will be invaluable as Barnes and the Raptors try to take the next step.
Add us as a preferred source on Google