Toronto president Martha Ujiri gave a word of advice to Scotty Barnes, who has recently been sluggish.
The Toronto Raptors lost 99-111 in an away game against Orlando Magic in the 2022-2023 NBA regular season held at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, USA on the 12th (Korean time). Toronto, whose .500 odds collapsed, fell to ninth place in the Eastern Conference with a mere 13 wins and 14 losses.
In the 2021-2022 season, Toronto sent leader Kyle Lowry and declared a rebuilding centered on young players. Due to the promotion of 메이저놀이터 young players, they were ranked 5th in the Eastern Conference and also stepped on the playoff stage. Although they lost in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs to the Philadelphia 76ers, it was a valuable season for Toronto.
At the center of it was rookie Barnes. Barnes was evaluated as a player to be developed in the long term rather than an immediate sense of power, but he immediately showed his skills and led Toronto. Barnes won Rookie of the Year last season after averaging 15.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists.
Toronto, which seemed to have a rosy future, is a bit sluggish this season. Barnes cannot escape responsibility either. Barnes is averaging 14 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.8 assists in the 2022-2023 season. The stats themselves are not much different from last season when he won the Rookie of the Year award, but the problem is efficiency. The field goal success rate has decreased from 49.2% last season to 45.4%.
It seems that Barnes’ problem isn’t simply sexual. President Yoo Ji-ri pointed out Barnes’ attitude. President Yoo Ji-ri said in an interview before the game against the Brooklyn Nets on the 3rd, “I recently had a one-on-one meeting with Barnes. He complained about his lack of effort and assertiveness.” After meeting with President Yu Ji-ri, Barnes’ performance improved a lot. He showed a different aggressiveness, averaging 17 points and 12 rebounds in four games.
Barnes is Toronto’s future and present. Barnes must be active to win, and Barnes must grow to become a strong team. Can Barnes live up to Toronto’s expectations?