Darko Rajakovic says Scottie Barnes playing on the ball ‘a little bit less’ this season

Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic has provided insight into some on-court changes that we will be seeing from Scottie Barnes this season. 

“I think it’s going to be a little bit less than it was in the past, with Quickley, RJ, BI, and Scottie, all of them can handle the ball so they will be splitting those responsibilities this year” said Rajakovic when asked about how much Barnes will be on-ball.

With the addition of Brandon Ingram to Toronto this season, it has caused a lot of curiosity about how the team will ingratiate him into the offense. With so many players who can make plays with the ball in their hands, there will have to be some sacrifices from all of them when it pertains to touches this season. Rajakovic mentioned that they will be splitting these reps, but the exact split of the touches is something we will have to wait to see.

Rajakovic also expanded on how Barnes can fit with Ingram specifically as an off-ball player.

“Last year we had Scottie play on the ball a lot, you’re going to continue to see him doing that, but also when he plays off the ball, when is a screener and roller, when he plays in the dunkers spot, it just allows him to get more offensive rebounds, and be efficient in that area. Scottie is a force for us in transition and the open court, his early seals and post ups, so I think they’re [Barnes and Ingram] going to complement each other quite well.”

Barnes’ size and touch allow him to take full advantage of the opportunities presented to him off the ball. Whether he is barreling toward the rim after a screen and finishing, or making a play for another teammate, he clearly has a knack for playing off the ball somewhat. Barnes’ uses his size on offense very effectively, often backing his defender down for a mid-range or rim look. With Ingram as the ball handler using a Barnes screen, it could be a very perilous situation for defenders who have to contain Ingram and watch for his pull-up mid range shot, while also worrying about Barnes who will be on the roll and in an advantageous position.

Rajakovic is already figuring out ways to make his star players fit together on offense, and hopefully his vision comes to fruition.

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