A three-game winning streak in late February seemed to breathe life into the team’s faint play-in hopes. For a moment, it seemed like maybe Toronto could sneak into the play-in picture or at least play meaningful games in April.
Scottie Barnes fractured his hand contesting a layup attempt by Jonathan Kuminga and Toronto’s season came to a sudden end. The Raptors finished the season going 3-19 without Barnes and essentially looked like the worst team in the NBA for the final five weeks of the year.
But maybe there was some silver lining to how it played out.
“Him getting injured was a blessing in disguise,” Raptors guard Garrett Temple told Vince Carter on the VC Show.
Barnes has always been a high IQ player.
He came into the league as a fantastic passer with an impressive ability to read the game like few others.
“He’s very cerebral. He may have the highest IQ of a rookie I’ve ever been around or like a first, second, third-year player,” Temple said. “He understands the game immensely.”
