The Toronto Raptors learned just before Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves that Kawhi Leonard would be missing out due to injury.
Scottie Barnes pretty much didn’t show up, either.
The Raptors were blown out by Minnesota as Barnes played one of the worst games of his NBA career.
If you’re someone who just checks out the points column for each player after a game, you’d be wondering if Barnes even played.
Did Scottie Barnes Play Tonight?
Yes, Barnes played on Sunday night. He just didn’t score a single point.
It’s rare for a star like Barnes to be entirely shut out. You would’ve figured that was impossible once Leonard was ruled out.
Somehow, though, the Timberwolves held Barnes to one of the worst games of his career.
Scottie Barnes Stats
Barnes played 28 minutes for the Raptors on Sunday night and managed to score 0 points.
He was 0-for-12 from the floor. That included 0-for-5 from 3-point range.
Barnes didn’t attempt a free throw.
He grabbed three rebounds, dished out four assists and had three turnovers. Barnes also nabbed four steals and blocked one shot.
He was a team-worst minus-27.
Why Scottie Barnes Scored 0 Points
One obvious problem for Barnes is that he didn’t put enough pressure on the defense to get to the foul line.
A big, physical playmaker like Jones should make multiple trips to the charity stripe each game. On this night, he didn’t attempt one foul shot.
The Timberwolves also have tough defenders to make life difficult.
Jaden McDaniels is one of the best defensive forwards in the league. Jonathan Kuminga, LaMelo Ball and Anthony Edwards all have length and athleticism, too. And then waiting at the rim is one of this era’s top defenders, center Rudy Gobert.
Minnesota brings an athletic perimeter defender, Ayo Dosunmu, off the bench often, as well. This is not an easy team to score against.
RJ Barrett helped make that point. He scored 20 points, but it took him 9-for-21, and 0-for-3 from 3 and 2-for-5 from the foul line, to do it.
Immanuel Quickly was also 7-for-15 (3-8 3FG).
Only Ja’Kobe Walter’s 22 points on 7-for-12 from the field (5-8 3FG, 3-4 FT) kept the Raptors in the game even a little bit.
Barnes and Toronto will want to forget about this one and move forward. It’s a long season, but this was a brutal night.
Did Scottie Barnes Play Tonight? Why Raptors’ Star Scored 0 Points