With Barnes out indefinitely, Ochai Agbaji enters the starting lineup and delivers a crowd-pleasing career night at Scotiabank Arena.
There is an aura of business as usual around the Raptors as they continue down a developmental path without the services of their best player.
The short-handed Raptors entered Sunday night’s game against the visiting Charlotte Hornets (who were also minus key players) with a next-man-up mentality after all-star Scottie Barnes suffered a left hand injury in Friday’s game against the Golden State Warriors. He’s out indefinitely, and there was no update on a timeline for his recovery.
Barnes had been as durable as they come, appearing in all 60 games through Friday. In his absence, no one player will replace his nearly 35 minutes a night. The team is trying to do it by committee.
“We have a lot of young guys (and) this will be a great opportunity for them to step up,” coach Darko Rajakovic said before the game, and before rattling off pretty much every name on the roster. “It’s opportunities everywhere. And it’s going to be (a chance) for those guys to grab those opportunities, to learn through those and then to grow. But our objectives stay the same: to be competitive and try to win it every single night.”
With that in mind, the Raptors did just enough for a 111-106 victory at Scotiabank Arena. Immanuel Quickley, who had been sharing point-guard duties with Barnes since January, sealed the win with clutch free throws and finished with 22 points plus a season-high 11 assists. Backcourt mate RJ Barrett added 23 points, nine rebounds and five assists.
Ochai Agbaji, who started in place of Barnes, just missed his first NBA double-double: 13 points and nine rebounds in 33 minutes. In the third quarter, he wowed the crowd of 19,512 by blocking a shot by Miles Bridges before racing down the court for a basket.
“Whether it is five minutes or 30 minutes, whatever it is, just being in that position, I think, is where I want to be. And making the most of it is what I’m trying to do,” Agbaji said after the game.
Rajakovic praised Agbaji’s energy and timely cuts to the basket, even though he only made six of his 20 shots.
The Raptors — now 23-38, 12th in the Eastern Conference — were without Bruce Brown, recovering from a right knee injury. By halftime, centre Jakob Poeltl was also out with a dislocated finger on his left hand. He didn’t return.
As a result, rookie Gradey Dick (11 points, multiple three-pointers for the 14th time this season), Jordan Nwora (11 points) and D.J. Carton all saw extra playing time, while Jontay Porter stepped in at backup centre after Poeltl left.
Rajakovic said the team’s message without Barnes is the same as before: just keep learning and growing.
“They did some really good stuff, and I think there’s another layer to it,” Rajakovic said, while emphasizing the need to better “protect the paint going forward.” The Hornets scored 62 points in the paint.
Charlotte, meanwhile, rolled into town without injured regulars LaMelo Ball, Seth Curry and Cody Martin. The Hornets had lost three straight prior to this trip and, with a 15-46 record, sit eight games behind the Raptors in the East. Rookie Brandon Miller led the Hornets with 26 points and 10 rebounds.
“It’s going to be a real challenge to win, but that doesn’t mean you play losing basketball,” Hornets head coach Steve Clifford said. “There’s a big difference between teams that just park it in and teams that try to play the right way and win. And I think as an organization, trying to win every game is critical.”
The Raptors, without Barnes, are in a similar situation.
“We cannot get too high or too low after a game,” said Rajakovic. “We’ve got to continue developing those guys. And it doesn’t matter how they perform in a single game. We got to give them an opportunity to bounce back from a bad performance or to learn from it. Or if they play well, to take it to another level.
“It has to be a lot of patience over here with them, a lot of support, a lot of work.”
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