News Update: In order for Scottie Barnes to flourish, Dennis Schroder has to decline bold play.

Schroder has been great for the Raptors, but his daring style needs to be toned down.

Leading against the Miami Heat at halftime with a score of 66-64, it seemed Scottie Barnes, Dennis Schroder, and the Toronto Raptors were close within reach of victory as they rallied through an early 15-point deficit courtesy of a hot shooting night from Caleb Martin.

The Raptors had a fairly winnable game on their hands with Jimmy Butler having a very quiet first half and the Heat without two important players in Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo. Nevertheless, they made a mistake and lost 112-103 against the Miami Heat.

What specifically went wrong, then? To begin with, Dennis Schroder led the club in field goals attempted (18), ranking first among all players. While Schroder is by no means a lightweight, it is strange for the point guard to shoot more than Pascal Siakam and Scottie Barnes on a Raptors team that has both of them.

Add in the fact that Dennis only made four out of the 18 shots, bringing his field goal percentage to a miserable 22%, and last night comes off as head-scratching. On the other hand, Siakam had a great night, going 9-for-13 from the field, while OG Anunoby also had a solid outing with an efficient 61% shooting night with five made 3-pointers out of ten.

Schroder’s style of play contributed to a rough night from Barnes, as he took just three first-half shots (Schroder had 11) and only had 2 points before a fourth-quarter surge. The Raptors need to tell Schroder to be less ball-dominant, as the current style of play is hurting everyone involved.

The Toronto Raptors must minimize Dennis Schroder, lean on Scottie Barnes.

After the defeat, Scottie Barnes’ subpar performance raises questions. The fact that the Heat lacked sufficient rim protection presented Barnes with the ideal chance to take control of the game and attack the hoop. That’s supported by a terrible 29% shooting performance from the field and some offensive inaction.

Circling back to Schroder, his wild style of play shows it can take away the offensive flow from others and ultimately cost the team a victory. It makes sense to demand the ball more if others are struggling, but this game was not one of those nights. Even Gary Trent Jr., who’s had a pretty rough start to begin the season, found a nice groove against the Heat.

However, Schroder took the lead in the fight by making an absurdly high amount of shots. Although Schroder is a deft passer who can make his own shots when necessary, he should play less hero ball in the vein of Fred VanVleet and instead focus on getting his teammates involved, notably Barnes, a young player with enormous potential.