With a 12-18 record so far this season, there hasn't been much for the Toronto Raptors to celebrate as they are seated 12th in the Eastern Conference standings. Previously, they were on a brutal three game losing streak. But on Wednesday against the Washington Wizards, they gave their fans watching back in Toronto plenty to cheer about in a blowout 132-102 victory.

Amassing a franchise record, 43 assists, which is 10 off the NBA record in total, the Raptors were in control the entire game. They received double digit assists from both power forward Pascal Siakam (11) and point guard Dennis Schroder (10). All of that generous ball movement on their roster lead to a high scoring explosion with everyone at least scoring one bucket along with three players scoring 20 or more (OG Anunoby, Pascal Siakam, and Scottie Barnes).

On the opposing side, the Wizards only garnered 25 assists with small forward Kyle Kuzma having a team-high 7 but simultaneously a team-high five turnovers. For the Washington Wizards, this has been the prevailing narrative for them this season: frustratingly inconsistent play. At 5-25, there isn't much hope for Kuzma, Poole, and the Southeast division bottom dwelling Wizards who've struggled all season with committing a high volume of turnovers every game.

It might be hard to believe but it's been five seasons since the Raptors won the NBA Finals. The only players who remain from that 2019 roster are swingman OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam who both ironically have found themselves in trade rumors all season. As the Raptors fully commence their rebuild, one thing for certain is third year small forward Scottie Barnes is the face of the franchise.

Barnes added on to what has been a breakout year, stuffing the stat sheet with 20 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists, three steals, and two blocks. General Manager Masai Ujiri has to be exceptionally pleased with Barnes' rapid ascension. All eyes will be on Barnes the rest of the season to see if he can lead the Raptors back to the playoffs for the first time in two years.