Barnes ready for regular-season return

TORONTO – It’s been the amended portion of 8 months since Scottie Barnes was successful a regular-season NBA game. A week distant from the Toronto Raptors’ location opener, helium feels he’s ready.

The 23-year-old Barnes broke a bony successful his manus connected March 1, missing the last 22 games of past play aft helium had country to repair it. He present has 3 pre-season games nether his loop with 1 much accumulation earlier Toronto hosts the Cleveland Cavaliers astatine Scotiabank Arena connected Oct. 23.

“The mode we play and the mode we’re going to person to play passim the season, it’s going to beryllium a batch of hard work,” said Barnes astir his mentation level. “We’re going to person to determination our bodies truthful we’ve got to beryllium good rested, get bully treatment, marque definite we’re getting progressive with our grooming unit to marque definite our bodies are prepared.

“But conditioning wise, you know, I consciousness beauteous good.”

Barnes has surely played good successful his 3 pre-season games.

He had 16 points, 8 rebounds, an assistance and 2 steals implicit 20 minutes successful a 113-95 nonaccomplishment to the Washington Wizards connected Oct. 11, his archetypal crippled backmost aft the injury. Two days aboriginal helium had 10 points, 2 assists and a rebound successful a 115-11 nonaccomplishment successful Boston to the Celtics.

Most impressively, Barnes astir had a triple-double successful a 119-118 triumph implicit Boston connected Tuesday, finishing with 26 points, 10 assists and 9 rebounds successful 30 minutes, his astir playing clip successful months. Those numbers came against astir of the Celtics’ starting 5 that won that franchise its 18th NBA title past season, too.

The Raptors volition reason their pre-season connected Friday nighttime successful a roadworthy crippled with the Brooklyn Nets. Barnes said the attack was elemental earlier the regular play begins successful a week.

“Just staying consistent,” said Barnes connected Wednesday aft signifier astatine OVO Athletic Centre. “Keep doing what we do, play the close way, playing smart, and conscionable support being us.”

Backup constituent defender Davion Mitchell, who has played starter’s minutes with Immanuel Quickley nursing a sprained thumb, had much to accidental connected what Toronto needs to bash to beryllium prepared for Cleveland and games that matter.

“I deliberation for america it’s support learning from each different and support staying connected connected defence, but besides decorativeness the possessions,” helium said. ” I deliberation the archetypal crippled we played Boston (on Oct. 13), we didn’t decorativeness a batch of possessions. They got a batch of casual points disconnected conscionable 50/50, balls, 2nd accidental points, not boxing out.

“Then we talked astir it, we watched movie connected it, and past we worked connected it successful practice, and the adjacent crippled we, I don’t deliberation they had that galore 2nd accidental points, truthful we’ve conscionable got to support talking and support learning from each other.”

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Mitchell has been 1 of the highlights of the Raptors’ pre-season, applying changeless antiaircraft unit connected opponents’ shot handlers. He besides flirted with a double-double successful Tuesday’s triumph implicit the Celtics with 9 points, 10 assists, 3 rebounds and a steal.

He said helium wasn’t definite what his relation would beryllium connected the squad erstwhile Quickley and swingman RJ Barrett of Mississauga, Ont., instrumentality from injury, but said helium has had ongoing conversations with caput manager Darko Rajakovic astir what’s next.

“I cognize my relation is gonna get a small smaller, but I’ll inactive support playing to the champion of my abilities defensively, get my teammates open, what I’ve been doing the pre-season,” helium said.

Rajakovic said helium expects his players to marque the astir of the adjacent 7 days, some successful signifier and successful Friday’s crippled successful Brooklyn.

“We conscionable request to absorption connected maximizing each day,” helium said. “It’s 7 days to the location opener, but for america this full season, we’ve got to look astatine this full play arsenic 1 large chunk.

“The main absorption needs to beryllium for america to play hard, to larn what it means to play hard, and past to person fine-tuning from there.”

This study by The Canadian Press was archetypal published Oct. 16, 2024.