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Darko Rajakovic, Scottie Barnes
Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic praised the playoff play of Scottie Barnes after the team’s season ended on Sunday.
The Raptors lost 114-102 on Sunday night to lose their first-round series to the Cleveland Cavaliers 4-3. It was an incredibly competitive series, with both teams showing flashes of brilliance at times, but ultimately, it’s the Cavaliers who will move on to the next round and play the Detroit Pistons. The Raptors’ players, including Barnes, will now shift to summer mode, as their season is over, and they will now have to digest this loss and prepare for next season.
Following the game, coach Rajakovic praised the strong play of his All-Star Barnes during the playoffs, gushing about how well he performed against Cleveland, while suggesting fans will see an even more improved version of him next year after another summer of improvement.
Darko Rajakovic on Scottie Barnes:
“For this stage of his career, I think he gave it all. He made a huge stride. He got so much better in this playoff series … but this is not the best version of Scottie that we’re going to see. I know how hungry he is, how much he’s going to
“For this stage of his career, I think he gave it all. He made a huge stride. He got so much better in this playoff series … but this is not the best version of Scottie that we’re going to see. I know how hungry he is, how much he’s going to work over the course of the summer, and what kind of player he’s going to be next year. I think we’re going to see an even better Scottie next year,” Rajakovic said of Barnes at the post-fight press conference.
The Raptors made huge strides this season, as the team improved by 16 wins to go from 30 to 46 and make the playoffs for the first time since 2021-22. Yes, the Raptors ultimately lost in seven games to the Cavaliers, but they played their hearts out the whole series and were one game away from pulling off a massive first-round upset over a more talented team on paper.
Overall, it was a great season for Toronto. The team sent two players to the All-Star game in Barnes and Brandon Ingram, while seeing rookie Collin Murray-Boyles flash star potential. As well, second-year players Jamal Shead and Ja’Kobe Walter proved they are valuable role players in the NBA, and others like Sandro Mamukelashvili and RJ Barrett had strong seasons, too.
That being said, there are a few players who you have to wonder what their future with the franchise is. Namely, guard Immanuel Quickley and center Jakob Poeltl. Quickley did play well when healthy, but he missed the playoffs with injuries, and considering he has a massive contract, the team could shop him this summer. As for Poeltl, he was banged up most of the season and appeared to have regressed as a player even when healthy. Given that he has a massive contract extension that kicks in next year, the Raptors may be unable to move him in a trade without giving up significant draft pick compensation. Still, since Murray-Boyles showed he can be an NBA-caliber starting center, the Raptors would be smart to shop Poeltl around this summer.
Adam Martin Adam Martin is a sports journalist with over 15 years of experience. He has a speciality in MMA, while also covering the Big 4 Sports. Adam is currently a contributor to Heavy.com, with previous experience working for The Toronto Star, Sportsnet, theScore, Bookies, BJPenn.com, and MMAOddsbreaker.com. More about Adam Martin
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