The Washington Wizards beat the Toronto Raptors 109-105 Friday night. Following the win, Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal had nothing but praise for Raptors rookie Scottie Barnes. The Washington star said that he knew how “special” Barnes was well before the rest of the NBA.
Yahoo Sports Canada tweeted the postgame clip of Beal praising the rookie after his impressive performance.
Bradley Beal knew Scottie Barnes was special when he was in high school pic.twitter.com/rkL2cSfm0U
— Yahoo Sports Canada (@YahooCASports) January 22, 2022
“I've always been a fan of him since I've coached against him in high school…he's always been a special talent,” Beal said, referencing his St. Louis' Premier AAU Basketball Program.
“Tonight he looked like a star. He was killing us,” Beal said. Barnes and Beal were the top point performers for their respective teams Friday night, the rookie outscoring the veteran 27-25.
Despite the loss, this was the Raptors rookie's most productive game of his NBA career. Along with his personal record of most points in a game, Barnes recorded eight rebounds, one assist, and one steal.
In his rookie season, Barnes averages 14.8 points, 3.4 assists, and 7.9 rebounds per game. The 20-year-old has a promising future in the NBA, and Beal hit it right on the nose in his postgame interview.
The Raptors are having a mediocre season and sit just above 0.500 with a record of 22-21. Although they have improved their record slightly since the beginning of the season, there is a lot of work to be done for the Raptors if they have any chance of climbing up from eighth in the Eastern Conference.
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