Toronto Raptors coach offers his thoughts on Scottie Barnes' All-Star snub
The Toronto Raptors have been represented by their players at the All-Star Game 26 times in their history, but it doesn’t seem like that will be the case this year.
On Thursday night, the All-Star reserves were unveiled for the Eastern Conference, with Toronto not having a player named to the team for the first time since the 2020-21 season.
Most notably, Scottie Barnes was believed to have a shot at making the team but ultimately did not make either the first round of voting from fans, media, and players who picked the five starters or the seven reserves picked by the league’s head coaches.
Barnes has averaged 20.3 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 6.5 assists in 34 games this season with the Raptors entering Friday, pretty similar to his marks of 19.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 6.1 assists in 60 games a year ago when he earned his first All-Star selection.
Speaking to the media prior to Friday’s game against the Chicago Bulls, Toronto head coach Darko Rajakovic offered his thoughts on Barnes not getting the call this year.
“In my mind, he’s an All-Star. He plays like one, he practices like one, he acts like one,” Rajakovic said. “I’m just encouraging him to continue being himself. All those accolades will come, and everything is going to come in order; he just needs to stay pounding the rock and staying the course.”
Barnes himself commented on the choice postgame.
“Year’s not going the way we wanted to go, no reaction. I’m blessed to be in the position I’m in, blessed to be alive,” he said.
Accolades have been pretty common for Barnes in his short career, as he picked up the 2021-22 NBA Rookie of the Year in his first season in the league.
While nobody on the current roster was named to the team, one former Raptor did get the call for the third time in his career. Pascal Siakam, who made the All-Star Game in 2020 and 2023 while with Toronto, was selected as a reserve in his first full season with the Indiana Pacers.
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