Toronto Raptors fall to Celtics, must get Scottie Barnes back on track

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The Toronto Raptors finally got (most of) the group together Wednesday night in Boston, playing all five scheduled starters for the first time in five games. This was also the first time since

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On March 4, Jakob Poeltl (who made his preseason debut on his 30th birthday), Scottie Barnes, R.J. Barrett and Immanuel Quickley all suited up for the Raptors. Rookie Brandon Ingram led the way with 20 points and 10 rebounds.

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Here are some takeaways from another close game in which the Raptors again relied on youth to make a big comeback but fell behind by two points on a basket in the final seconds after Jamison Battle tied the game with a 3-pointer:

IS IT EARLY TO PANIC?

Much like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. with the Blue Jays, when it comes to the Raptors, all eyes turn to Barnes first. Barnes is expected to do more than anyone else because of his contract, Rookie of the Year, stellar accolades and immense talent level.

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So Barnes will have to do much better than the 20% he shoots from the floor, which includes seven missed 3-pointers and no hits. He hit 13 shots Wednesday after hitting just 17 in his other two games, but they still weren't the most ideal shots. Barnes has length, strength and athleticism advantages over many opponents, but he settles for fadeaway shots and pull-up shots instead of really attacking them. Here he seemed strangely passive, without his usual outburst.

Barnes' freshman looked like a man-child on offense. In his third year, he recovered from his sophomore slump by earning an All-Star spot and appeared to be on his way to proving that he was the franchise player the Raptors believed him to be. But last season was a mixed bag and was once again marred by injuries.

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This is a big season for Barnes, and while he's doing a lot of other things well, he needs to get his scoring game in order for the Raptors. achieve success.

ACCOMMODATION LOOKS PROBLEM

It will be interesting to see how the Raptors put their old-school starting lineup to work offensively. Most teams these days prioritize shooting and don't pair two bigs who either don't shoot 3-pointers at all (Poeltl) or struggle a lot from behind the arc (Barnes).

The addition of Ingram (assuming he makes seven or eight triples a night) and the return of Quickley (especially if he stays with his goal of nine or 10 triple attempts) helps, but since the other member of the five, R.J. Barrett is an excellent outside shooter, meaning many opponents will target Ingram and Quickley and leave plenty of room for the other three. This will make it difficult for the team to provide good space as the defenders stay behind and clog the middle of the ice.

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We saw this early on against the Celtics, and keep in mind that it could be just as bad as the spacing between them all year, considering this was Poeltl's first appearances with the group outside of pre-injury practices. However, even when they all get used to each other, the problem will remain.

While Sandro Mamukelashvili has struggled with 3-point shooting in the preseason and was 1-for-5 on Wednesday, he shot 37 percent from beyond last season and teams respect his range. When he took the court, Barnes seemed more comfortable on offense. This is despite the fact that Ingram and Quickley were replaced (although Ochai Agbaji is a good shooter and was also with them).

ACCELERATE IT

Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic has limited Ingram's minutes in his first two starts, but with the regular season approaching, it looks like it's time to move closer to realistic plans.

Ingram played 32 minutes, 10 more than his average so far, and appears to be getting the job done.

Poeltl was understandably held up for 20 minutes, Grady Dick did not play with back spasms and rookie Collin Murray-Boyles was sidelined with a right elbow injury.

The preseason ends Friday in Toronto with the visit of Brooklyn, which is expected to be one of the worst teams in the NBA.

@WolstatSun

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