It’s not December, but the holidays came early for fans of the Toronto Raptors during NBA All-Star Sunday.
The ghosts of Raptors past and present played an instrumental role for their respective teams – for the most part.
It may be awhile until All-Star weekend returns to Toronto because of the a bitter cold 2016 February, but the Raptors made the most of their moment in Los Angeles.
Scottie Barnes deserves the spotlight
In another universe, Scottie Barnes was drafted to a different franchise and plays more often in front of an American audience. In that reality, Barnes draws more pseudo-comparisons to Magic Johnson and is constantly talked about as a legitimate Defensive Player of the Year candidate.
Since this version of Barnes plays for the Raptors, basketball fans outside of Canada often miss out on seeing his basketball genius. With an opportunity to showcase his unique skillset under the bright lights of All-Star Weekend, Barnes was locked in from the moment he got off the bench in game one against Team World.
Barnes is the perfect supplementary player in this type of environment. He plays defence, rebounds the ball, and can quarterback the fast break. When most All-Stars would rather play wide receiver in this setting, Barnes becomes invaluable.
His contagious energy sparked a 10-2 run that would ultimately set the stage for the first of several dramatic finishes. With the game hanging in the balance, it was Barnes who squared up defensively against Victor Wembanyama. Despite the NBA desperately wanting Wembanyama to attempt a game-winner, the French big man had no choice but to give the ball up to a teammate.
In overtime, Barnes endeared himself to onlookers with his physicality against Wembanyama. It was perhaps fate that decided Barnes would be rewarded for his efforts. With Team World making the mistake to help off the three-point line despite a two-pointer not capable of hurting them (first team to five points wins), Barnes knocked down a catch-and-shoot triple from the left wing to seal the victory.
One reason why Team Stars eventually took the tournament crown was the undeniable synergy between Barnes and Detroit Piston Cade Cunningham. The two previously headlined the juggernaut high school team Montverde Academy in 2019-2020. Their chemistry was on full display throughout the night. An example of this was when Barnes flowed into a natural dribble-handoff off the sideline-out-of-bounds play. It resulted in clean left corner three for Cunningham.
Barnes averaged 3.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists while shooting 83.3 per cent.
Brandon Ingram wasn’t his best
For the first time since 2019-20, Brandon Ingram set foot in an NBA All-Star game. Ingram was 22 years old the last time he was recognized as one of the league’s best players. He had been drafted to Team Giannis and played a game-low eight minutes. Ingram finished with two points while shooting 25 per cent from the field and missing all three of his three-pointers.
Six years later and Ingram is a vastly advanced player in comparison to his days as a Los Angeles Laker. But that didn’t seem to improve his chances at a more productive All-Star outing. Ingram finished with three total rebounds and one assist in three games. He shot 0-for-3 on the night and registered a DNC-CD in the championship.
The highlight of his night was a sleek pass to former Raptors legend Kawhi Leonard. It wasn’t a good sign when Ingram missed his first three. Things got worse when Cunningham denied him at the rim.
Ingram’s play style may not mesh with the free-flowing All-Star format. But that’s okay. Ingram deserved to be there and he’ll get another chance in the years to come.
Kawhi Leonard had fun with it
The game between Team Stripes and Team Stars produced a kind of drama that only the greats could author. Kawhi Leonard’s performance was eerily similar to what he put together in Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Raptors and the Golden State Warriors.
Down 27-20 with 6:11 left, Leonard raced up the court and calmly knocked down a three from the top of the arc over the outstretched arm of former Raptor teammate Pascal Siakam. He later hit two more triples before finishing his solo 11-0 run with a turnaround baseline jumper over Siakam.
With the game on the line, Leonard hunted a switch to find New York Knicks’ Karl-Anthony Towns. Seconds later, Leonard drilled the three that would eventually become the game-winner.
A “talented” supporting cast
While Pascal Siakam was on the wrong end of several highlight plays, he thrived and looked like he belonged amidst the best in the league. He received a lot of criticism for his All-Star selection because of how lowly the Pacers have been this season, but Siakam ended up playing an important role for Team World, especially with Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic losing interest in the festivities.
In his first All-Star appearance, the Miami Heat’s Norman Powell struggled with his normally reliable three-ball (0-for-5). But he did make the most of his time on the court for Team World against Team Stripes in the Round Robin finale. Late in the contest, Powell drove to the basket and found Wembanyama for a corner three. Moments later, Powell corralled a missed shot by Canadian Jamal Murray and scooped the ball into the net for two points to give Team World a 43-40 lead.
On the final possession of the game, head coach Darko Rajakovic designed a nifty big-on-big off-ball screening action with Towns and Wembanyama. Unfortunately, Wembanyama couldn’t knock down the open three.