Strong and skilled, Scotty Barnes impresses his coach

With 13 points in 13 minutes in the first period, plus a save on Giannis Antetokounmpo, Scottie Barnes had a very good start to the match against Bucks. Then he injured his hand, more precisely his left thumb, due to contact with teammate Sandro Mamukelašvili. Then he goes to the dressing room.

“I don’t know what happened”, comments by Sandro Mamukelashvili. “He is our leader and when you face a player like Giannis, you need someone who does not shy away from that challenge. He shouts, he is there, he has energy.”

Fortunately for the Raptors, tests performed on Scotty Barnes showed nothing serious. So he came back in the third quarter, to finish what he started and finish the game, beat Torontowith 23 points, 6 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocks.

If he’s good from distance, “NBA will have problems”

“Very often with the stars they only think about themselves, but he is so focused on the team, so he makes sure that everyone is in the right place. continues the Georgian. He told me to shoot, I made threes and he was very happy for me.

What is striking about the start of the season of the leader of Toronto is his outside skill. Against the Bucks, he shot 3/5 on 3-pointers and shot a solid 47% in this drill. Last season, due to a few arm issues, he shot just 27% on 3-pointers. It makes a big difference.

“The NBA will have problems” launches its trainer Darko Rajaković at this developing address. “He plays hard on both ends of the floor. He’s very good at finishing close to the circle, carrying the ball. He’s 24 years old and as good as he is now, he’ll be even more in four or five years. This kid is improving so much, adding things to his game. Things are coming together and he’s going to be a great player.”

How to read statistics? MJ = matches played; Min = Minute; Shots = Shots Successful / Shots Attempted; 3 points = 3 points / attempt 3 points; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive jump; Tot = Total number of jumps; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal mistakes; Int = intercepts; Bp = lost balls; Ct: Against; Points = Points.