Raptors' Scottie Barnes on loss to Bucks, Darko Rajakovic

Raptors forward Scottie Barnes discuss the loss to the Bucks, how he was able to find success on high ball screens with Jakob Poeltl and Darko Rajakovic.

Video Transcript

- Questions for Scottie?

- Scottie, what do you guys need to do to come out of the gates a little quicker? It's been, I guess, three games, different games now that's been a problem.

SCOTTIE BARNES: I think we just-- I think it's just about us, just starting off slow. I know we miss a couple of shots. We run back a little. Worrying about our shots. I think we just got to keep getting over it and just keep playing basketball.

We play our best basketball when we just play carefree, run the ball at our pace, and just play defense. When we play defense, get stops-- they got going early, was making shots. But we wasn't really making it that hard on them. They was getting to the free throw line a lot.

So we've just got to make it hard on them, get great contest, don't let them get those easy ones, and just defend with our foul.

- Darko mentioned you guys have been working on your approach in pick-and-roll over the last couple of days. What did you take away from those sessions and apply tonight?

SCOTTIE BARNES: I was just reading the defense, to be honest. Me just attacking, going downhill, trying to get the guy that was guarding me on the screen. Jak was setting good screens. Precious was setting good screens. So it's just trying to attack downhill. And when I see a big commit, just dropping it off or either taking it to the rim, one of the two options.

If they over help, find the corner. It was just about playing basketball, making the right reads.

- When you get maybe a hedge or they play at that level, and it's not so much of a commit after you get downhill--

SCOTTIE BARNES: Say it again.

- When it's not so much about getting downhill, but if they're hedging or they play at the level, what's the difference in approach if they switch at the point of attack?

SCOTTIE BARNES: Just stay trying to be aggressive, no matter who's in front of me. Just try to get in the paint at all times, beat that guy some type of way, and then just make reads from there. So just being aggressive out of it and not allowing the defense to just stop me, just keep trying to go downhill, attack the paint. And everything else just frees up from there.

- Obviously, losing isn't fun. But how much are you enjoying this season, having more of the ball, playing point guard more, and having that opportunity to quarterback a team on offense?

SCOTTIE BARNES: I'm just trying to enjoy this process that we're going through, just learning, finding each other out, trying to come together as a group collectively, and just trying-- keep trying to go out there each and every night trying to win games. That's what I just really look forward to doing, trying to find ways each and every game to try to win.

- What's it been like getting to know Darko maybe a bit on a personal level? And how has he given you confidence the more you kind of get to know him?

SCOTTIE BARNES: He's always coming in motivated, always trying to find different ways to put an emphasis on a game, push us. When we need to work on something, he's right immediate with it. He just puts that focus on it right away.

So just on a personal level, he just always comes in with great energy, a great smile, and it translates. It carries over to this team.

- How have you tried to change the [INAUDIBLE] today to try to slow down [INAUDIBLE]?

SCOTTIE BARNES: He was getting downhill and getting to the free throw line a lot. We didn't really do that much, if you ask me that. He was just being able to get downhill, getting layups, trying to take away his 3-pointers. We tried to make an adjustment and tried to blitz him, tried to get it out of his hands.

And he was just making-- he was just getting to the line, making reads, getting assists. It was just-- he was just doing a lot out there today. And we tried to contain him as best as we could. But he was-- once he gets going, it's kind of hard to stop that.

- How do you find that balance between taking over games as a scorer when you guys are in these big holes and just continuing to make the right play, regardless?

SCOTTIE BARNES: Like I said, it just comes down to just trying to win. That's the main goal at the end of the day. And we're losing. No matter what time, it just-- I'm just trying to win games at any point of the game. So sometimes it just comes-- I guess a lot of times, it comes when we're down sometimes or when we need it. But I'm just trying to win games.