Former Boston Celtics C Kendrick Perkins praises Scottie Barnes after Cs loss

The Boston Celtics didn’t deserve to be talked about much after their 115-83 stinker to the Toronto Raptors.

Well, not talked about in a positive light anyway.

Physically dominated by Toronto’s length, the Cs looked hapless two days after showing a ton of life against a New York Knicks team that could make some noise in the Eastern Conference if they can remain healthy.

They had 25 turnovers collectively and got a down-game from Jaylen Brown after he dropped a career-high 46 points against the Knicks. Jayson Tatum’s shooting was significantly improved (8/14 overall, 2/4 from the 3-point line tonight) from a dud on Wednesday (7/30, 2/15 3PT), but he failed to crack 20 points.

Every Celtic can say the same. But two members of the Raptors were able to reach or surpass the 20-point barrier: Gary Trent Jr. and Scottie Barnes.

Barnes, a rookie, added 13 rebounds in his finest effort as a pro. Former Boston Celtics center Kendrick Perkins shouted out the former Florida State Seminole:

Barnes was the #4 pick for the Raptors after a losing season playing in Tampa instead of their home country Canada in 2020-21 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The last team the Raptors played in the postseason was the Boston Celtics, who eliminated the north from the 2020 playoffs down in the Lake Buena Vista bubble. Before that, of course, they were NBA Champions.

This season was one that many expected to be a rebuilding year for Toronto, but the pieces they got from the Miami Heat in the Kyle Lowry sign-and-trade (Precious Achiuwa, Goran Dragic) combined with the incumbent pieces from last season (Gary Trent Jr., Fred VanVleet, OG Anouby) and the double-double threat rookie Scottie Barnes could lead to a surprising season in Toronto.

As for the Cs? Well, Ime Udoka needs to get this group together and take care of business against a Houston Rockets team expected to be hit with plenty of growing pains this season.