The summer of Scottie Barnes officially begins as Raptors face an important off-season

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Scottie Barnes heaved some shots in the hours leading up to Sunday’s season-ending tip at the Kaseya Center in Miami, as the Raptors hooked up with the Heat for the second time in roughly a day and a half.

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What transpired on the court — a 118-103 loss to the hosts — had no bearing on the Raptors, though the results of Sunday’s play in the NBA had a major impact on playoff seeding with multiple teams, including the Heat, requiring help from others to move up in the pecking order.

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With the season officially in the books, the Raptors closed out an incredibly turbulent campaign under a rookie head coach with a four-game losing streak, which seems quite fitting. The end couldn’t have arrived soon enough as the club pivots to the off-season.

The first domino won’t be determined until the draft lottery on May 12. Following Friday night’s blowout loss to the Heat, the Raptors were assured of finishing with the sixth-worst record in the NBA and concluded the sorry season at 25-57.

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For the record, the team sent out its 30th different starting unit in the finale, opting to go with Javon Freeman-Liberty, Gary Trent Jr., Ochai Agbaji, Gradey Dick and Kelly Olynyk, none of whom are legitimate starters on a playoff-contending team.

The Raptors are nowhere close to competing for a top-six post-season slot in the East next season and the most realistic scenario involves jockeying for a play-in slot. As Miami proved last spring, it is possible to parlay a play-in win into a deep run.

Luck is required, but then again the Raptors had luck on their side when they won the championship in 2019.

Talent is required, a dimension that is pretty thin with the Raptors. When the Heat went on a run a year ago that would end with a loss to the Denver Nuggets in the NBA final, Jimmy Butler led the way. But he was surrounded by shot-makers and mentally tough players who followed Playoff Jimmy’s lead. Miami isn’t as good this spring and it remains to be seen if Butler can replicate last year’s epic play.

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Butler has that much-needed dog mentality every team must possess, an ability to step up in the biggest moments and deliver. Barnes, meanwhile, is no Butler, but he does loom just as large for the Raptors as the franchise picks up the pieces from a truly regrettable season and turns the page.

One of the many drawbacks to the just completed season involves Barnes, who didn’t play after March 1, the night he hurt his left hand. By not being available, it deprived the Raptors of watching him play for an extended stretch with the likes of Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett, both of whom were unavailable Sunday. It deprived the Raptors of putting the ball in Barnes’ hands in a clutch moment and assessing how he makes decisions when the pressure intensifies, how aggressive he  attacked the basket or how much of a willing facilitator he would emerge under those circumstances.

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It has been made abundantly clear the Raptors will rise or fall with Barnes, whose leadership skills must improve along with his body language.

There are those who believe the Raptors won’t reach the status of true playoff-contending team until a player better than Barnes is acquired. Having struck lightning once when they acquired Kawhi Leonard, it is highly unlikely, perhaps even impossible, a similar stroke of circumstance will emerge.

So, barring the improbable, it’s Scottie Barnes’ show.

Management must tread lightly in keeping Barnes grounded. Darko Rajakovic must be demanding when any slippage to his  game is revealed because it is easy for a young player to develop an inflated opinion of himself.

A lot was written and said when Vince Carter was named to the Hall of Fame, many looking back on V.C.’s time and the ugly exit. Lost in the narrative was the role Raptors management and ownership played in the Vinsanity saga. Simply put, they were too soft in how Carter was treated, allowing he and his inner circle to basically call the shots when all he needed to do was make shots on the court.

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No one is suggesting Barnes will ask to be treated any differently than the 12th man on whatever team the Raptors field this coming fall, but he must be held accountable each and every night.

Clearly, another season of constant losing cannot be tolerated. Fans have exercised remarkable patience, but there is a limit to their loyalty and the sparse gatherings at Scotiabank Arena should serve as a painful reminder that the team’s base of supporters was annoyed at the product, as it should because there weren’t many nights when a high level of basketball was being produced by the home team.

Following Sunday’s loss, the Raptors were scheduled to hop on their charter and fly back to Toronto. On Monday, the clean-out-the-locker routine will be executed followed by the predictable media availability.

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If any player remotely says something of consequence, it would be shocking. Rajakovic and the franchise’s head honcho, Masai Ujiri, will not speak Monday. When they do, each will express the expected thoughts on how such a season will not be repeated, how off-season programs have been designed to improve development, how every stone will be turned to upgrade the roster.

There are options and there might be a possibility of drafting a good prospect, depending on how the lottery unfolds.

Above all else, it will begin with Barnes. He took a big step this season and credit to him for putting in the work. But he’ll need to take another step.

And the team must keep close tabs on Barnes because next season is shaping up as a big year in the Raptors’ long climb back to being relevant.

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