2 important lessons when the Raptors lost to the Warriors

NS Toronto Raptors played against the best team in the league, and it showed.

While there were some impressive moments, fueled mainly by a spirited bench effort, the Raptors looked ahead of the pack. Golden Empire Warriors, they are super focused on Stephen the curry allowing red-hot shooting demonstrations from Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole eventually led to their doom.

The Raptors have now lost four of their last five games. They progressed to the final record of 8-10 and are going to 6-4. On Wednesday, they will play the final game of this West Coast trip, making a brief stop in Indiana before heading home.

Here are some key takeaways from that night.

Toronto Raptors Takeaways vs Warriors

2. Scottie Barnes is still a rookie

Yes, that’s right. Scottie Barnes is truly a mortal.

This isn’t the first time he’s appeared that way, but it might be the most obvious one. For the whole night, he seemed to be unsure of himself, questioning all his decisions and searching for the most suitable position.

This is to be expected, though, as Barnes is more than simply a rookie, subject to the inevitable Rookie Wall and the growing general pain of being a newbie in the… harshest in the world, but he played a much more important role than he did in his final college season. At Florida State last year, he played a total of 595 minutes. In this season, across 15 games against Toronto, he has scored 530 minutes.

Top scorer 3 levels @ScottBarnes561 pic.twitter.com/GUuzlsvZle

– Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) November 22, 2021

“Well, he’s going to play so much more,” head coach Nick Nurse told reporters after the game. “He will play many minutes. He’s really, really young and he needs time in court to get better. ”

Additionally, Barnes’ rookie status means he’s still trying to figure out his place in the team’s offensive hierarchy. His talent means he could take on a slightly bigger role than he has so far, something Nurse has voiced, but he clearly doesn’t want to interrupt the scorers. made a name for himself on the team, especially as someone whose game is based on unselfishness. toy.

“I think he’s starting to get a little off-putting, but he’s held up,” Nurse added. “The important thing was that he didn’t let that go the whole game. He gets aggressive, he takes a few pictures, he starts going to the perimeter, and you can just tell so many times that’s what we want him to look like to catch and shoot those guys. those things, because they’re there to the rhythm and if he has the opportunity to steer a lane and go down there and over the perimeter, do it. “

During the match against the Warriors, Barnes also got to see a lot of Draymond Green, which gave him a lot of learning experience. Something that, perhaps, is hard to track right now, but will be good for him in the long run.

This is just the beginning of Barnes’ journey as a member of the Raptors, and there are sure to be more evenings like this coming Sunday. But hey, that’s rookie life in the NBA, even for one of the best.

1. The Raptors’ bench is in full bloom

On a positive note, the Raptors bench played pretty well back on Sunday.

After a rebounding performance last time, the pine brought in 38 points, with Dalano Banton and Precious Achiuwa leading the way and combined for 19 of that total.

“We try to get on the court, play with a lot of energy, run up and down the floor,” Achiuwa said. “On the bench, we’re a lot younger, so we try to get the rhythm of the game, play fast, forward, play defensively, go out and run and basically just bring in a lot of energy. ”

Banton, in particular, is enchanted. He was arguably Toronto’s best player apart from Pascal Siakam, entering the game and immediately creating sparks through a change of pace for which he became famous.

Hands down, man down… Hands up, so what! @DALANOBANTON pic.twitter.com/M5veMrYixT

– Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) November 22, 2021

But he’s not just porting the game to another device, he’s also doing it while adding a few new elements — mainly some smooth long jump elements, some of which are mid-range. and another element from outside the arc. They were the perfect complement to his play (3 assists), finding Achiuwa multiple times and forming what appeared to be the start of some nice chemistry between the two.

Although the Raptors ultimately lost the game by 15 points, Banton finished the game adding seven in 20 minutes, the highest score on the team.

Banton’s unexpected reliability has been crucial to Toronto this season, and the prospect of an expansive offensive game should keep everyone giddy.