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All eyes were on Scottie Barnes on Friday night as the Toronto Raptors resumed mundane, more familiar preseason basketball.
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This exercise, completely futile, rarely carries any value.
For some, it's a chance to make an impression.
For someone like Barnes, who is entering his fourth season as the undoubted face of the Raptors franchise, at least something was on the line against the host Washington Wizards, who basically went out of the park last Sunday in Montreal.
Barnes hasn't seen an NBA court since March 1, when the Raptors hosted the Golden State Warriors.
Barnes suffered a hand injury in the loss and missed the remaining 22 games of the season.
He spent part of his vacation jumping with his teammates.
Facing a real opponent should be seen as Barnes' first step in preparing for the upcoming season.
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Fans saw an aggressive Barnes who was at times overly aggressive and even more careless.
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Sloppy is one adjective to describe the six minutes Barnes saw on the floor.
Barnes had a hand in Toronto's first six points in a first quarter marred by turnovers and unwatchable stretches of play.
Welcome to pre-season.
Barnes turned the ball over four times in six minutes. In fact, it had more turnover than brands (3).
There were no trips to the foul line, but Barnes was whistled for a foul after pushing Ochai Agbaji, who started in place of the injured RJ Barrett, after a miss.
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Barrett, Kelly Olynyk and Immanuel Quickley were also unavailable.
Barrett, who was injured in Montreal, is not expected to return before the start of the regular season.
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Without Toronto's three best available players, it was almost impossible to properly evaluate Barnes' first game.
He made three two-point shots, but missed both of them.
A passing play involving Jakob Poeltl resulted in Barnes' first pass as he drove down the lane.
Then he made a mid-range jumper, followed by a nice pass in transition as Barnes found Poeltl driving to the hoop.
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Barnes returned to the field late in the first quarter.
He recorded his first rebound on a Washington miss, then forced the Wizards to send an extra defender when Barnes had the ball in his hands late in the period.
The appropriate read and play would have been made, but the Raptors failed to capitalize when they missed an open look from outside the penalty area.
After the first quarter, the Raptors led 25-18 after 12 minutes of terrible basketball.
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As the Wizards started to introduce a certain level of intensity, the game became a bit more watchable, a charitable showcase for the on-court product.
With no healthy player even remotely close to Barnes' skill level, he actually tried to overdo it instead of playing with the rhythm of the game as might be expected.
Defensively, there wasn't much to say.
He started the evening against Kyle Kuzma, a surprising player who can still play.
Unfortunately, Kuzma was content to stay in the corner pocket.
However, when he got off the ball, he forced a foul on Barnes as Barnes moved his legs slowly, prompting the referee to properly whistle at Barnes for a blocking infraction.
The opening seven minutes were unremarkable, seven minutes of cruelty that included a free kick by Kuzma, countless traveling offenses and 13 total turnovers.
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Yes!
Unfortunately, the game continued.
At least Chris Boucher seemed to be taking the night seriously as he pursued a potential spot in the rotation.
Where he fits in, if Boucher fits at all, is anyone's guess.
If there were any serious suitors, Boucher would be elsewhere.
Kudos to Boucher's level of competition.
In eight minutes, Boucher scored 12 points and took down six boards, which proves his professionalism and preparation.
The evening also allowed Bruno Fernando to see some minutes. Toronto signed the big man in free agency this summer.
Fernando played 45 games for the Atlanta Hawks last season.
Gradey Dick made his first three shots of the preseason, missing a second-quarter shot with 4:36 left in the period that gave Toronto a 43-33 advantage.
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Then Alex Sarr, whom Washington selected second overall in June, scored his second three-pointer of the game with the Wizards trailing 45-40.
Barnes finally got to the line for the first time, but missed both free throws.
A Raptors turnover after which Dick missed the hoop allowed the Wizards to take a 48-47 lead at halftime.
To summarize the first half, the Raptors had more turnovers (11) than assists (9), while Barnes had more turnovers (4) than turnovers (3).
The second half started much like the first, with Barnes taking control, this time forcing a steal near half court and scoring on an uncontested dunk.
He then controlled the rebound defensively and went the length of the court before his shot attempt was blocked near the hoop.
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Barnes moved much more fluidly in the second half.
After missing a free kick, he kept the ball from behind.
Barnes then missed his fifth three-pointer on his fifth attempt from beyond the arc.
He played 20 minutes that night, scoring 16 points, going 7 of 15 from the field, never making a shot from long range, recording eight rebounds, one assist and five turnovers.
He deservedly didn't see the floor in the fourth quarter.
For those interested in such nonsensical matters, the Raptors lost 113-95, mainly because the visitors were unable to make three-pointers while allowing the Wizards to dominate from a distance.
On Hall of Fame weekend, this game was a Hall of Shame.
fzicarelli@postmedia.com
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