Scotti

Yesterday at 07:08 PM

If Scottie Barnes‘ shooting struggles have puzzled you of late, head coach Darko Rajakovic appears to have an explanation.

The Toronto Raptors bench boss was asked about the star forward’s recent efficiency woes, specifically from deep — Barnes is shooting 42 per cent from the field and 25 per cent from beyond the arc through 14 games in March — and he cited a lingering hand injury as the culprit.

It’s seemingly bad enough that Rajakovic told reporters “if you’re trying to shoot the ball with three fingers, it changes your shot,” during his pre-game availability on Thursday.

Barnes was listed as questionable for the matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers entering the day due to a right hand MCP joint contusion but was ultimately ruled as available to play.

The 23-year-old is having another strong statistical campaign, averaging 19.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks through 61 games. However, Barnes’ offensive efficiency has dipped this year — notably coinciding with his first full campaign as the team’s undoubted No. 1 option — shooting career lows of 44.2 per cent from the field and 26.5 per cent from deep on the season.

As previously noted, things have been especially tough throughout the month of March as Barnes has hit just 10 of his 40 three-point attempts to this point.

According to Rajakovic, the former Rookie of the Year will need to rest and heal the hand injury in the off-season while also using that time to work on his outside game.

But given that the Raptors have already been eliminated from post-season contention, sit 11th in the East at 28-48 entering Thursday and have just six games remaining, it would be reasonable for Barnes to sit out. Especially considering other core players like RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and Jakob Poeltl have all alternated rest days during the closing stretch of the Raptors’ season.

Yet, the decision for Barnes to play through a nagging hand issue appears to be his own.

“First part of it is, he’s really trying to go out there and play as many games as possible,” Rajakovic explained while referencing Barnes missing the final 22 games of the 2023-24 campaign due to a broken finger on his left hand. “He’s in the mindset that he’s really trying to play through as many games, and to be available, and find the rhythm… to help us for the future.

“There are plus and minuses on both sides. I also think his competitiveness and exerting his energy on the defensive end and really learning how to play deeper in the season is important for us as well, so we decided for now to go this route.”