Raptors

Cameras caught Barnes and Young arguing after halftime on Sunday, but the two players said the incident was no big deal.

These three Toronto Raptors trends, shown off in both the Blazers win and some of their prior losses, are reasons to look on the bright side.

These three trends, shown off in both the Portland game and some of their prior losses, are reasons to look on the bright side. With four of their next six games coming against teams that are below .500 on the year, the Raptors could turn things around. Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers coming to town didn’t seem like the easiest game on the schedule.

While Barnes asserted himself during Sunday's win over Portland, he was also caught arguing with a teammate.

He hooked up [his buddy from Douala](https://www.nba.com/stats/events?CFID=&CFPARAMS=&GameEventID=81&GameID=0022200597&Season=2022-23&flag=1&title=Siakam%201%27%20Running%20Layup%20(6%20PTS)%20(Koloko%202%20AST)), [Pascal Siakam](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/pascal-siakam-O4WMbrh2Eb51D9jq/), on a mini-break, too. He carried a group with four reserves in an [excellent start](https://www.nba.com/stats/events?CFID=&CFPARAMS=&GameEventID=217&GameID=0022200597&Season=2022-23&flag=1&title=Trent%20Jr.%2026%27%203PT%20Pullup%20Jump%20Shot%20(7%20PTS)) to the second quarter to the most meaningful run of the game, given the [bench’s recent struggles](https://theathletic.com/4061507/2023/01/06/raptors-development-sinking/), with the offence [tilted in his direction](https://www.nba.com/stats/events?CFID=&CFPARAMS=&GameEventID=220&GameID=0022200597&Season=2022-23&flag=1&title=Trent%20Jr.%2025%27%203PT%20Step%20Back%20Jump%20Shot%20(10%20PTS)). [nice dose](https://www.nba.com/stats/events?CFID=&CFPARAMS=&GameEventID=146&GameID=0022200597&Season=2022-23&flag=1&title=Lillard%20Bad%20Pass%20Turnover%20(P1.T5)) of [rim protection](https://www.nba.com/stats/events?CFID=&CFPARAMS=&GameEventID=79&GameID=0022200597&Season=2022-23&flag=1&title=MISS%20Lillard%206%27%20Driving%20Bank%20Hook%20Shot) defensively. With the Raptors facing decisions on more central players, it is very possible they decide to get players further away from unrestricted free agency (and/or a draft pick) rather than prioritize the re-signing of Trent to a multiyear contract. [Indiana](https://theathletic.com/nba/team/pacers/) and [Milwaukee](https://theathletic.com/nba/team/bucks/) earlier in the week, the Trail Blazers had their starting centre sag way off [Scottie Barnes](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/scottie-barnes-q6oHKUdJcW7PgLaq/) to prioritize defence at the rim. [Gary Trent Jr.](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/gary-trent-jr-zZoHqRt2NYjJg9ul/) is the likeliest candidate to be moved. He is a better defender now compared to when he arrived with the Raptors, but he probably tops out as an aggressive but mistake-prone player on that end, and he isn’t big enough to be matchup-proof. [took a dribble and hit a short jumper](https://www.nba.com/stats/events?CFID=&CFPARAMS=&GameEventID=12&GameID=0022200597&Season=2022-23&flag=1&title=Barnes%2015%27%20Pullup%20Jump%20Shot%20(2%20PTS)) early, and then [fired a 3](https://www.nba.com/stats/events?CFID=&CFPARAMS=&GameEventID=26&GameID=0022200597&Season=2022-23&flag=1&title=Barnes%2026%27%203PT%20Jump%20Shot%20(5%20PTS)%20(VanVleet%201%20AST)) when Jusuf Nurkić continued to camp out near the rim. However, he doesn’t have the long history with the Raptors that the other main pieces do, and he has yet to show he can grow meaningfully as a playmaker for others. He also didn’t record a field goal until the fourth quarter against the [Knicks](https://theathletic.com/nba/team/knicks/) on Friday. It appeared Young said he wanted to make sure Barnes was ready, with Barnes taking exception to the notion it was necessary. At that point, Portland changed things enough that the Raptors could find other holes, with Barnes cutting when [Nurkić went down to provide help](https://www.nba.com/stats/events?CFID=&CFPARAMS=&GameEventID=33&GameID=0022200597&Season=2022-23&flag=1&title=Hart%20S.FOUL%20(P1.T1)%20(E.Scott)) inside on O.G.

Scottie Barnes won a key offensive rebound around three Blazers defenders, which set up Siakam to draw a foul. Fred VanVleet tailed the play tightly and ate a ...

Achiuwa is understandably rusty and needs time to get back, but he was a liability in recent games with his mistakes standing out the most for the second unit. Achiuwa looked more like himself Sunday, making his signature plays such as a block at the rim, a runout in transition where he beat two defenders for the layup, and a lob dunk to go along with his usual dose of athleticism on both ends. Koloko was also the backbone of the bench during a key stretch in the second quarter where the Blazers were held without a basket for six minutes. Unfortunately, the officials whistled Koloko for his fifth foul in 13 minutes, and also slapped him with a technical for protesting his clean play. Unlike in the previous losses to Indiana and Milwaukee, Barnes was aggressive throughout in beating the coverage in a variety of ways. Barnes was also featured more in pick-and-rolls, often with VanVleet as the handler, where Barnes would catch it on the move for either a strong take at the rim, or for a kickout to the corner. He stood in for a pair of charges, finished a roll to the basket off a pocket pass from Siakam, won a tip-out offensive rebound which produced a three on the recycled possession, and corralled a steal for a hit-ahead assist. Outside of the clutch run, VanVleet managed the flow of the game well as a secondary ball-handler beside Siakam, including multiple drive-and-kick sequences to find OG Anunoby in the corners and Barnes on the roll to the basket. Siakam was equally as committed on the defensive end, most notably as a defender against Lillard in the fourth where he collected a steal, a block, and forced Lillard into an airball. He was noticeably more energized in his approach, and while he missed a few chances down the stretch, his approach to the game was unquestionably positive. Portland used a shorter defender in Josh Hart for the defensive assignment, while the 7-foot Nurkic was permanently stationed at the rim, but Siakam managed to find space in the middle of the paint with short jumpers to shoot over top of the defence. The starters started poorly on defence, allowing the Blazers to waltz in for two layups and two open threes to start before Nick Nurse called an early first timeout.

The NBA trade deadline is one month away. Here's the latest on the Raptors.

And all we can do is hope that VanVleet and his management team are having those discussions with the Raptors so that both teams are on the same side as we head towards the deadline. Standings-wise, the Raptors are still stuck in that miserable middle — well out of the play-in tournament but not in the bottom four (where the highest lottery odds reside). That aligns with my thinking — they’re too good to give up on — but that brings us around to Fred VanVleet. Anunoby or Pascal Siakam away from the Raptors, who have been firm in their desire to keep both players.” Bontemps also details how the play-in tournament has messed up the traditional playoffs-or-tank model. [Bontemps says that](https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/35403093/a-major-nba-trade-deadline-player-hardly-anyone-talking-toronto-raptors) “Toronto has been put in a position where the rest of the NBA is waiting to see which direction the franchise will take with its underperforming roster,” before detailing all of the problems that have led the team to their 17-23 record (regression from Scottie Barnes and Fred VanVleet, poor shooting, bad transition defense...

Toronto Raptors teammates Thaddeus Young and Scottie Barnes have pretty much always spoken glowingly about each other. The youngest (Barnes) and ol...

Young began the clip by saying something in Barnes’ direction, which didn’t seem to generate much reaction. They both say they’ve already moved on. The youngest (Barnes) and oldest (Young) player on the Raptors, the pair have formed a strong friendship ever since the latter was traded to Toronto ahead of the 2022 NBA deadline.

Marc Stein said that Gary Trent Jr. is the only player he is aware of that the Toronto Raptors have definitely made available in trade talks.

is the only player he is aware of that Toronto has definitely made available in trade talks. Considering that both he and VanVleet could hit free agency after the season, the idea of Ujiri Considering all the assets they could part with, Toronto is one of the most influential players in the trade market.

Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse discusses Thaddeus Young and Scottie Barnes' dust-up during the team's halftime warmups against the Portland Trail Blazers ...

Barnes, in particular, has been in the spotlight for play that hasn’t met the expectations of fans after last year’s rookie-of-the-year campaign. “It was nothing serious. “Just a little disagreement,” said Barnes.

TORONTO – Much of the league is paying close attention to the Raptors with the Feb. 9 NBA trade deadline fast approaching. It's no secret and it's also not ...

He’s not a prefect player, but at his age and with his ability to shoot and score the ball, in addition to his strong play of late, there should be a market for him. Fred VanVleet is having a down season and expected to opt into free agency over the summer, but the sense is that Toronto still values the soon to be 29-year-old point guard as a part of the core moving forward. It’s just a question of what they’ll do and how the league’s dominos will fall from there. Even in the midst of his uneven second season, the belief is that Barnes – the NBA’s reigning Rookie of the Year – remains the Raptors’ only true untouchable, though it would take a “king’s ransom,” as one source put it, for them to consider parting with Siakam or O.G. Assuming that’s the case, the coming weeks will be a crucial period of evaluation for an organization at a crossroads. Time is no longer on their side, with Tuesday’s game marking the official halfway point of the campaign, and decisions need to be made. Both players downplayed it afterwards, with the sophomore calling it “a little disagreement” and the 16-year vet saying it was “no different than brothers going back and forth.” They hugged it out and smoothed things over quickly. The Raptors held Portland without a field goal for nearly nine minutes in the first half and then again for four and a half minutes in the third quarter. There’s no shortage of reasons why the team has underperformed, but it’s not for a lack of talent at the top of the roster. It seems increasingly unlikely that they would be looking to buy, given how the first half of the season has gone, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’ll operate as aggressive sellers either. As Josh Lewenberg writes, the coming weeks will be a crucial period of evaluation for an organization at a crossroads. Despite having the easiest remaining schedule in the NBA, the 17-23 Toronto Raptors aren’t likely to stand pat at the Feb.

The Toronto Raptors are a team that is often mentioned as the key player at the 2023 NBA Trade Deadline. With names like Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent Jr.

If the Raptors With the trade market slightly out of whack right now, Toronto might be able to grab multiple first-round picks in a deal that has Trent at the center. Trent is going to turn 24 years old in a week, so he has his best basketball ahead of him. The Raptors need to be very judicious about how they handle trading away Trent. The Toronto Raptors are a team that is often mentioned as the key player at the 2023 NBA Trade Deadline. being mentioned as candidates to go elsewhere potentially, the Raptors have some big decisions to make.

Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse is confident there's no problem between Scottie Barnes and Thad Young after talking to both players on Monday in the ...

Barnes, in particular, has been in the spotlight for play that hasn't met the expectations of fans after last year's rookie-of-the-year campaign. “It was nothing serious. “Just a little disagreement,” said Barnes.