Toronto’s young core is getting chance to shine as key players are injured

While Scottie Barnes recently underwent surgery after he sustained a fracture to the third metacarpal bone of his left hand in Friday’s loss to Golden State, the Raptors younger core will need to step up. The current Rookie of the Year is out indefinitely and there is no certainty he will return again this campaign. 

The All-Star forward wasn’t even present in Toronto’s last game against the Hornets on Sunday, when the players who aren’t usual starters showed some leadership and contributed to winning the game 111 to 106.

Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic said that after Scottie’s news “nothing is off the table,” and is convinced that the rest of the squad will get more chances moving forward.

Toronto Raptors' Scottie Barnes undergoes left hand surgery – ESPN https://t.co/zo8qT57PdJ via @GoogleNews

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“I talked to the guys individually before the game,” the Serbian shared. “And what I told them was they’re going to have expanded roles and minutes, and I told them, ‘I’m not going to make any conclusions based on one game, good or bad … ”

In their last outing against Charlotte, many younger prospects had some good moments, like Jordan Nwora who scored 11 points in 18 minutes off there bench, or rookie Gradey Dick who also dropped 11 points on 7 shots, won 4 rebounds and even got a steal in 24 minutes on the floor.

Despite other athletes stepping up, his teammates recognized the importance of Barnes for the team, as the 22-year-old is the Raptors leader in points, rebounds, assists, blocked shots and steals this campaign.

“Scottie’s a big part of what we do, it takes a group effort to make up for what he does,” said Immanuel Quickley, who  was the team’s best players against the Hornets on Sunday. “It takes a lot more effort, honestly. He does so much that doesn’t show up on the stat sheet, so a lot of effort things we have to make up for, the intangible things, the extra possessions he gives us, the defensive versatility. So it’s a group effort to make that up.”

The Raptors point guard admitted that he didn’t understand the seriousness of Barnes’ injury. “I didn’t even know it until today,” shared Quickley. “I called him [Saturday] and even then I didn’t know. I probably got to call him back — ‘my fault bro.’”

Ochai Agbaji is excited after getting more game time this Sunday and hopes to keep contributing

For the first time this season, Ochai Agbaji got 33 minutes on the floor as he contributed with 13 points and 9 rebounds to the Toronto cause on Sunday. The 23-year-old is grateful for any opportunity given, as he’s convinced he’s able to do great things for the Raptors this season.

“I think it’s never taken for granted. Never taking any opportunity that I get, whether it’s five minutes, 30 minutes, whatever it is,” Agbaji said after only his 33rd start of his career. “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.”

The 6-foot-5 wing showed many moments of brilliance during his spell against Charlotte this weekend, starting with the fact that he dropped in his team’s first four points and created a huge bond with Jakob Poetl, who assisted him throughout the match.

“It’s really nice, really, really nice to be found on those cuts,” Ochai expressed. “Because it’s always a short window of when you’re open and all that, so having those bigs that can have that ability to pass and play-make like that is really cool. It’s really fun to play with.”