Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic told reporters Monday evening that he was “puzzled” and “very disappointed” that forward Scottie Barnes is not among the top 20 players in Eastern Conference All-Star voting thus far.
The NBA released the top 20 in their first round of All-Star fan voting Monday afternoon, with Brandon Ingram at No. 12 as the only Raptor to make the list.
Rajakovic called on Raptor fans and all of Canada to up Barnes’ totals as voting continues.
“I’m puzzled and I am very disappointed. We need to get this right. Canada needs to get this right. It starts with us… What he does is what generational players are doing,” he said via TSN’s Josh Lewenberg.
“I have no doubt that Scottie Barnes is an All-Star. He needs to be towards the top of that list of players in the East. Canada, we need to get this fixed, right now.”
Just threw an alley-oop to Rajakovic, asking him why Barnes isn’t in the top-20 in East fan voting returns: “I’m puzzled and I am very disappointed. We need to get this right. Canada needs to get this right. It starts with us… What he does is what generational players are doing”
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) December 29, 2025
Barnes has taken a major step with his offensive efficiency this year, upping his shooting percentage to .507 from .446 from a season ago. He’s also shooting .354 from beyond the arc and .828 from the free throw line while averaging 19.3 points, 8.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists, playing in all 33 games so far in 2025-26 for Toronto.
Barnes also recorded a historic triple-double in Sunday’s victory over the Golden State Warriors, scoring 23 points, dishing out 10 assists and pulling down 25 rebounds. His 25 boards tied Bismack Biyombo from March of 2016 for a single-game franchise high and according to NBA statistician Keerthika Uthayakumar, Barnes joined Nikola Jokic from 2022 as the only player over the last 45 seasons to have a 20-point, 25-rebound, 10-assist game.
Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo leads the way for the East with just under 1.2 million fan votes. Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey, New York’s Jalen Brunson, Detroit’s Cade Cunningham and Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell round out the top-five. Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic leads the Western Conference in fan votes.
Fan voting will count 50 per cent of the tally to determine the five players from each conference selected as All-Star Game starters. The players’ votes count for 25 per cent and media members’ votes account for the other 25 per cent.
The 2026 NBA All-Star Game will take place at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles on Feb. 15, featuring a U.S. against the world format.
