Raptors' Rajakovic says Barnes' shooting woes related to hand injury

If Scottie Barnes' shooting struggles of late have puzzled you, head coach Darko Rajakovic appears to have an explanation.

The Toronto Raptors bench boss was asked about the star forward's recent efficiency woes, specifically from deep — Barnes shot 42 per cent from the field and 25 per cent from beyond the arc through 14 games in March — and he cited a lingering hand injury as the culprit.

It's seemingly bad enough that Rajakovic told reporters, "If you're trying to shoot the ball with three fingers, it changes your shot," during his pre-game availability on Thursday.

Barnes' shooting splits have dipped even further through his last five games as he's converted from the field and distance at 33.8 and 18.8 per cent clips.

The former fourth overall pick in 2021 was listed as questionable for Thursday's matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers due to a right-hand MCP joint contusion but was ultimately ruled as available to play in what ended up as a 112-103 loss for the Raptors.

The 23-year-old is having another strong statistical campaign, averaging 18.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks through 62 games. However, Barnes' offensive efficiency has dipped this year — notably coinciding with his first full campaign as the team's undoubted No. 1 option — shooting career lows of 44.0 per cent from the field and 26.3 per cent from deep on the season.

Barnes has hit just 10 of his last 42 attempts from beyond the arc.

Those woes were especially evident in the Raptors' loss on Thursday as he went two-of-eight from the field and zero-for-two from distance for just five points in 27 minutes. Barnes' scoring production was the lowest of all Toronto starters against Portalnd and the second-fewest of the 10 players who saw the floor for the dinos. He subbed out at the 7:33 mark of the fourth quarter and did not return.

After the game, Rajakovic doubled down on how much Barnes' hand issue was impacting his play, noting how "you guys can see he's even struggling dribbling out there," and it's something the Raps star has been playing through "for months."

The former Rookie of the Year will need to rest and heal the hand injury in the off-season while also using that time to work on his outside game, according to his head coach.

But given that the Raptors have already been eliminated from post-season contention, sit 11th in the East at 28-49 after Thursday and have just five games remaining, it would be reasonable for Barnes to sit out. Especially considering other core players like RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and Jakob Poeltl have all alternated rest days during the closing stretch of the Raptors' season. Quickley and Poeltl both sat out on Thursday.

Yet, the decision for Barnes to play through a nagging hand issue appears to be his own.

"First part of it is, he's really trying to go out there and play as many games as possible," Rajakovic explained while referencing Barnes missing the final 22 games of the 2023-24 campaign due to a broken finger on his left hand. "He's in the mindset that he's really trying to play through as many games, and to be available, and find the rhythm... to help us for the future.

"There are plus and minuses on both sides. I also think his competitiveness and exerting his energy on the defensive end and really learning how to play deeper in the season is important for us as well, so we decided for now to go this route."