Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Scottie Barnes Stays Hot While Raptors' Depth Pieces Hang Tight with Hawks in Overtime Loss
Last year the Toronto Raptors learned an important lesson in depth.
As COVID-19 ravaged the team and injuries plagued Pascal Siakam, O.G. Anunoby, and eventually Fred VanVleet at points throughout the year, Raptors coach Nick Nurse made it clear nine or 10 depth players on the team wasn't going to be enough. No, 14 players aren't going to play every night, but these days depth is key.
Take Saturday's 124-122 overtime loss to the Atlanta Hawks, for example. Toronto was down to just nine players, with Pascal Siakam, Gary Trent Jr., Chris Boucher, Precious Achiuwa, Otto Porter Jr., and Dalano Banton all sidelined with various ailments. Yet, the Raptors fought tooth and nail with the Hawks, riding some outstanding performances from those depth pieces to a near upset of the Hawks.
For a moment, it looked like Toronto might hang on to win it in regulation. Christian Koloko batted out an offensive rebound to VanVleet, one of Koloko's seven offensive boards on the night, giving the Raptors one final shot at the win. VanVleet drove deep into the paint and found Scottie Barnes, but the ball wouldn't drop, rolling around the rim before popping out.
In overtime, the Raptors got crossed up trying to stop Trae Young in the final seconds. A pair of O.G. Anunoby free-throws helped Toronto climb out of a four-point hole late, but some miscommunication left AJ Griffin, son of Raptors' assistant coach Adrian Griffin, wide open under the basket for the game-winning bucket off a savvy find from Young.
Even in the loss, the Raptors got another long look at exactly what this roster looks like all the way to the bottom. What Saturday showed is just how deep Toronto's rotation truly is.
Thad Young started things off for the Raptors with the kind of impressive passing and skillful inside scoring he's become known for as of late. At this point, it seems unthinkable that he began the year outside the Raptors' rotation with a trio of DNPs before finally gaining Nurse's confidence. With all the injuries, he's become indispensable for the Raptors, keeping Toronto's offense going with 14 of his season-high 17 points in the first half alone.
"He is a great vet," Juancho Hernangomez said of Young earlier in the week. "His IQ is really high. He knows how to pass. He knows how to cut. He knows when he gets in the post, he knows because he’s been in the league 15 years."
After that, it was the Malachi Flynn show off the bench. The 24-year-old responded to a DNP on Wednesday night with the best game of his season. He nailed a pair of three-pointers in the first half, both off impressive finds from Scottie Barnes. He then weaved his way through the Hawk's defense, using a screen from Christian Koloko before lofting a floater through the hoop.
That aggressiveness carried over in the second half, where Barnes found him again for a catch-and-shoot three-pointer and hit another crafty floater from the free-throw line. Flynn then showed off his playmaking skills late in the fourth, finding O.G. Anunoby in transition to stick the Raptors to a seven-point lead.
He did, however, foul out in the fourth, finishing the night with a season-high 17 points, five rebounds, and a trio of assists in 28 minutes.
Considering how well Banton was playing prior to his ankle injury, Toronto is going to have some tough decisions to make at the backup point guard spot when he comes back. Flynn has so far been outside Nurse's good graces for the better part of the last year, but the third-year guard has shown enough to push for Banton's minutes and maybe more when everyone returns to full strength down the road.
Barnes Stays Aggressive
It does help to have some star power on the roster, though. Barnes showed that again Saturday night, nailing a trio of three-pointers in the first half, two of which came off valuable catch-and-shoot looks. His aggressiveness inside was missing early again, but that quickly changed in the second quarter when he took Clint Capela off the dribble, blowing past the Hawks' center for a ferocious slam on John Collins.
At times Barnes still takes too many long pull-up twos, but he showed Saturday he remains a weapon when he's getting to the rim or making the most of catch-and-shoot threes. He finished the game with four three-pointers and a season-high 28 points with 11 rebounds and nine assists.
Barnes did briefly leave the game in the fourth quarter with what appeared to be a left ankle injury but he returned for the final two minutes and appeared to be healthy.
Up Next: Brooklyn Nets
The Raptors will have plenty of time to get healthy before returning home to take on Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, and the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET.
