The Toronto star argued that he values winning and defensive honors over his All-Star candidacy for this season.
Scottie Barnes isn't dwelling much on the unexpected low voting for his All-Star candidacy this season.
Scottie Barnes
Scottie Barnes
Scottie Barnes
MIN: 34.11
PTS: 19.11 (56.79%)
REB: 8.63
As: 5.29
ST: 1.31
BL: 1.51
TO: 2.54
GM: 35
Addressing the matter after the Toronto Raptors' practice session, Barnes insisted that he prefers winning and defensive accolades over the All-Star nod.
“I don’t really think I was surprised [about the voting],” he said, via Michael Grange of Sportsnet. “It is what it is. At the end of the day, I’m just trying to win basketball games. At the end of the year, when All-Defence comes out, I think I’ll be more worried about that.”
Recently, Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic expressed disappointment about the lack of support for Barnes' All-Star campaign.
Barnes failed to enter the Eastern Conference's Top 20 list in the first fan returns of the NBA All-Star Voting 2026. Meanwhile, his Raptors teammate Brandon Ingram was placed No. 12 in the rankings with 130,618 votes.
The 24-year-old has been the all-around driving force of the Raptors, averaging 19.1 points, 8.6 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.3 steals in 35 games played. With his brilliance, Toronto is currently at No. 4 in the East with a 20-15 record.
There are still two more fan voting returns left for Barnes, which can help him land in this year's All-Star Game in Los Angeles on Feb. 16.
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