Scottie Barnes’ Early Exit: Darko Rajakovic Considers This Sanctions For Barnes Poor Leadership Style.
Much has been handed to Raptors star Scottie Barnes and the 22-year-old is not going to handle everything as well as everyone would like.
He is learning what it takes to lead, what it’s like to have an opponent’s full attention as his team’s top player and, on Monday night, how to deal — or how not to deal — with frustration.
Barnes left his teammates for the locker room with time still on the clock at the end of an embarrassing 23-point loss to San Antonio. And the message of how he should better comport himself has been delivered.
Much has been handed to Raptors star Scottie Barnes and the 22-year-old is not going to handle everything as well as everyone would like.
He is learning what it takes to lead, what it’s like to have an opponent’s full attention as his team’s top player and, on Monday night, how to deal — or how not to deal — with frustration.
Barnes left his teammates for the locker room with time still on the clock at the end of an embarrassing 23-point loss to San Antonio. And the message of how he should better comport himself has been delivered.
“Obviously, being that guy, you’re going to be always under microscope,” Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said Tuesday. “So he’s aware of it and he regrets his act from (Monday) but it was genuinely just not being aware.”
Rajakovic said Barnes thought there had been a 24-second violation at the end of Toronto’s desultory 122-99 loss to the 11-43 Spurs. Barnes said Tuesday that “there were two or three seconds and I just left the game” before slightly altering his recollection.
“There were just three seconds left and we were all going to the locker room, that’s really it,” he said.
It was only when Barnes was asked what kind of message his stroll would send to his teammates that there was any semblance of contrition.
“It was a bad look,” he said. “It was a mistake on my part. If it affected them in any way, it was a mistake by me.”
In the grand scheme of things, it’s not like Barnes quit on his team in the middle of a game. And there was obviously a large measure of frustration and anger coursing through the team. The Raptors were throttled by a team riding a seven-game losing streak and they were laid to waste near the basket by Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama. Barnes had a terrible night, with more turnovers (five) than baskets (three) in a seven-point performance.
The Raptor have now lost 14 of their last 18 games in a disastrous stretch since they blew the team up by trading away OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam.
Barnes, in just his third season, has been anointed The Next Big Raptors Thing and he can’t get away from the spotlight.
“Obviously, he is learning what kind of effect he has on team and teammates and everybody,” Rajakovic said. “He’s 22 years old, he’s going for the first time in his life through this, being the face of a franchise, and he’s emotional.
“But he also needs to learn how to channel those emotions. You know, all of us, we have emotions. We’re gonna react a certain way. But the question is how quickly we’re going to be able to bounce back and do the right thing.”
Barnes will have to do it with all the cameras and eyes on him at every point. It’s part and parcel of his exalted status within the franchise.
“The cameras watch me? I guess,” Barnes said. “Can’t really care about the cameras. I’m just trying to play to win, help the team win in any way possible.”
Part of that is playing through difficult times and not giving into them. Part of that is dealing with the scrutiny — the people in the stands, the reporters in the media seats, the folks courtside with cameras trained on him who are going to pick up on things. Body language, complaining to officials, lagging behind the play; when you’re The Guy, someone sees it.
“I think it’s more when I’m frustrated or emotional,” Barnes said of the periodic outbursts. “It’s more on my part. I had like … four turnovers in the first quarter (against San Antonio), I’m just frustrated, mad at myself.
“Showing emotion, not getting back, it cost us, on my part. It’s more me being frustrated with myself and the way I’m playing. It’s not really anything to do with anybody else.”