Scottie Barnes had a wonderful all-around season in 2025/26 and needs to be a lock for a spot on an All-Defensive staff, in keeping with Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca, who says the two-time All-Star should take his recreation to a different degree within the playoffs for the Raptors to have “a real shot” of their first-round collection vs. Cleveland.
Head coach Darko Rajakovic is assured Barnes’ play will translate properly to the postseason. The 24-year-old hasn’t been within the playoffs since he was a rookie in ’21/22.
“I think the way Scottie’s competing, the way Scottie is contributing to the team at so many levels, it’s built for a playoff series,” Rajakovic mentioned. “It’s a stage he’s going to be shining [on]. He just needs to be himself and do what he does, and I think that’s more than enough.”
Here’s extra on the Raptors:
- In addition to taking up difficult defensive assignments, Barnes can even have extra play-making duties as a result of Immanuel Quickley stays hobbled by hamstring and foot accidents, Lewenberg notes. Toronto’s place to begin guard was unable to apply this week and his standing for Saturday’s Game 1 is up within the air, Lewenberg provides.
- Eric Koreen of The Athletic takes a have a look at Brandon Ingram‘s bounce-back first season with Toronto, which resulted in his second All-Star berth and 77 regular season appearances, his highest total since he was a rookie nine years ago. Ingram had been plagued by various injuries in recent years, including an ankle issue which limited him to a career-low 18 games played last season. Part of the reason he was more available this season is because Ingram learned not to overexert himself when he went through a rough patch. The 28-year-old forward credited the team’s medical workers for protecting shut tabs on his exercise degree. “(It’s) just constant communication. ‘How’s your body feeling? Is this a day we pull back a little bit? Is this a day we can still go hard?’” Ingram mentioned. “They’re giving me all the information I need to know if I need to exert or if I need to take a step back.”
- After an uneven begin to his second NBA season, Ja’Kobe Walter thrived after the All-Star break and emerged as a key contributor for the Raptors, writes Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. Veteran Garrett Temple and Rajakovic praised Walter’s competitiveness, adaptability and the way straightforward he’s to teach, whereas Barnes complimented the 21-year-old’s three-and-D ability set. “We all know he’s been great defensively for us,” Barnes mentioned. “Being able to put pressure on the ball, turning guys, trapping guys, helping us get out and run, but his shooting is just something that we need on our team, and he’s been on fire. Each shot he takes, it feels like it’s going in and he’s been super important for our team. Sometimes, we get in these ruts where we’re not making shots. But we can count on him to play defense and make shots.”
