Raptors end regular season at .500 with win over short-handed Bucks

One of the jobs this season was for the Raptors to coax Scottie Barnes out of his comfort zone, to ask him to do more, to change the impact he has on games, to step back a bit from what he’s historically done best.

It hasn’t gone perfectly but there has been incremental progress and as the NBA season grinds closer to a close, that’s a tiny win for the organization.

Barnes, who burst on the scene as something of a supernova as the NBA’s rookie of the year last season, arrives at the end of his second year with one aspect of the game to work on above all others.

Shooting.

He remains a gifted passer and he can be punishing at the rim when he decides to use his imposing physical prowess. And if he becomes even a moderate shooting threat, he will have reached his immense potential.

“His shooting mechanics and all those things are coming,” coach Nick Nurse said before the Raptors closed out the regular season with a 121-105 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks at the Scotiabank Arena.

“There are some days he looks really good out there. (But) that is just some new territory for guys who aren’t used to shooting it.

“Not only does it take a lot of mechanical skill work, it becomes part of a mindset. We talk about stages of becoming a viable three-point shooter. I think he’s making progress up those stages.”

Barnes finished his regular season with a somewhat typical Barnes game. He had eight points that included an explosive baseline dunk in the first half, a crowd-pleasing 360-degree jam in the third quarter and he dished out five assists in only 22 minutes.

That’s what Barnes does; what he’s got to do is add to the repertoire.

“He’s competitive, he’s big, he’s strong, he loves to play,” Nurse said. “Those skills and things are what he has to continue to work on and improve.

“You know how it is: If you’re going to be an all-star or a great player in this league, you’ve got to score. I say this too about him: He likes to pass the ball. I keep saying the same thing: Unless you can score first a little bit, here and there, you’re not going to be drawing multiple defenders or drawing schemes that will enable you to hit the open man.”

Barnes will always tell you he takes what any particular game gives him and that’s an admirable trait. His passing skills are truly next level but he’s not much of a better shooter today than he was as the end of his rookie season.

“In anybody’s game, when you make shots and more jump shots, I feel like it opens up everything … you get free and easy baskets at the rim, open lanes,” he said Sunday. “If I’m open, I’ll shoot it. Just depends on the time and situation of the game. However the game is, that’s how I’m going to take it. I just play as the game goes and try to assert myself in different ways.”

The win over a Milwaukee team that sat Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday, Brook Lopez, Grayson Allen and Pat Connaughton, allowed Toronto to finish the season 41-41. Outside of the year spent in Tampa purgatory, it’s the franchise’s worst regular season record in a decade and sends them into a win or go home play-in game against the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night.

And with Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam and O.G. Anunoby enjoying a day off, the Raptors got what they needed out of the game from Gary Trent Jr.

He finished with 23 points on a 7-for-13 day in 27 minutes and seems to be rounding into shape after missing seven games with elbow and back issues.

“That had to certainly be one of the main goals, other than winning, was to get Gary untracked and he came out ready to go and got a bunch of good looks,” Nurse said.

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