Well, that was disappointing. After two encouraging starts to the season, the Toronto Raptors came crashing back down to earth on Sunday night. The Minnesota Timberwolves handed them a 117-94 loss, and honestly, there wasn’t much to feel good about. The defence had its moments, a few young players showed promise, but the lack of offence and the performances from some of Toronto’s key players made this a tough one to sit through.

The frustrating part? We’ve already seen what this Raptors team can look like when it comes out ready to play. Toronto scored 43 points in the first quarter against the Chicago Bulls, then followed that up with 34 against the Washington Wizards. The defence set the tone, the turnovers came, and the offence took advantage. 

On Sunday, Toronto got a taste of its own medicine. Minnesota outscored the Raptors 32-21 in the opening quarter, shooting 12-for-18 from the field and 6-for-8 from three. Anthony Edwards got the Timberwolves going with seven points, while LaMelo Ball and Jonathan Kuminga added six apiece.

Toronto, meanwhile, looked completely out of sorts. The Raptors shot 9-for-29 from the field and an awful 1-for-10 from three in the first quarter. Their outside shooting was already a concern entering the game, and this was another reminder that the problem hasn’t magically disappeared.

RJ Barrett was the only reason things weren’t even uglier early on. He scored 11 points on 5-for-7 shooting in the opening quarter, practically carrying the offence on his own. But one player can only do so much, and Toronto needed a lot more help.

Kawhi Leonard’s late scratch due to swelling in his left knee certainly didn’t help. The Raptors could have used another player capable of slowing the game down and getting a bucket when things started going sideways. However, even with Leonard out, the team needed a much better response than what we saw.

To be fair, Toronto did show some fight in the second quarter. The Raptors outscored Minnesota 26-23, hit six of nine three-point attempts and cut the deficit to single digits. Immanuel Quickley knocked down all three of his threes in the frame, while Allen Graves hit the first three-pointer of his career. For a brief moment, there was a reason to think the Raptors might turn things around.

Then the third quarter arrived, and whatever hope was left disappeared. Toronto went 5-for-20 from the field and 1-for-8 from deep. Minnesota pulled away, and the game was effectively over. As bad as the shooting struggles were, that wasn’t even the most disappointing part of the night. That honour belongs to Scottie Barnes and Jakob Poeltl.

Barnes and Poeltl need to be better. Period.

Let’s start with Barnes. Twelve shots. Not a single one went in. Barnes finished 0-for-12 from the field, including 0-for-5 from three, and committed three turnovers. With Leonard unavailable, this was an opportunity for Toronto’s All-Star to step up and give the offence some direction. Instead, he couldn’t buy a bucket.

It’s only the second regular-season game of Barnes’ career in which he failed to make a field goal. He also hadn’t finished with fewer than 10 points since March 31 against the Detroit Pistons last season.

Nobody is saying Barnes can’t have a bad game. It happens. However, when you’re one of the faces of the franchise, you have to find ways to contribute when your shot isn’t falling. Be aggressive. Get to the rim. Make plays for your teammates. Give the team something. On Sunday, none of it seemed to click.

It’s one game, and there’s no reason to overreact to a single performance. But Raptors fans have every right to expect more from Barnes, especially on a night when the team desperately needed someone to take control. He has to be better, and the response on Wednesday will matter.

Now let’s move on to Poeltl, whose performance was just as difficult to watch. Toronto’s starting centre finished with zero points and one rebound in 19 minutes. One rebound. That’s all he managed in nearly 20 minutes of action. On the other end, Rudy Gobert grabbed 13 rebounds, scored eight points, blocked a shot and went a perfect 4-for-4 from the field. Gobert outrebounded Poeltl by 12.

Poeltl isn’t expected to carry the offence, but surely the Raptors can expect their starting centre to do more than disappear. Rebound the basketball. Finish around the rim. Make your presence felt. Those are the basics, and Toronto got almost nothing from him on Sunday.

For Jak, this isn’t just about one bad game. Through three games, Poeltl has yet to record a double-double despite averaging more than 24 minutes per contest. He’s attempted just four shots and scored nine points in total…forget a double-double, the guy hasn’t been able to score double digit points in any game, or secure double-digit boards.

That’s a concerning start for a starting centre, particularly on a team that already has enough offensive problems to worry about. Toronto needs Poeltl to be a steady presence inside. Instead, Sunday’s performance left the Raptors badly outmatched on the glass. It’s not good enough, and he needs to give this team more.

A few bright spots in a night full of frustration

There were some positives, although they were difficult to appreciate with the scoreboard getting out of hand. Ja’Kobe Walter led Toronto with 22 points on 7-for-12 shooting and added two steals while starting in Leonard’s place. Quickley finished with 19 points, and Graves put together his best game of the young season with 11 points, six rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block.

The Raptors also forced 23 turnovers. The defensive effort wasn’t a complete disaster, but Toronto failed to turn those mistakes into points like it did in its first two games. Minnesota outrebounded the Raptors 49-34 and forced 16 turnovers of its own.

Kyle Anderson’s return to Minnesota was another nice moment. The former Timberwolf received a warm ovation from the home crowd, a reminder that he remains appreciated there. He finished scoreless in 10 minutes, but the reception was a nice moment amid an otherwise miserable night.

Jaden Bradley also scored his first NBA points, finishing with six points in five minutes. It’s a milestone worth celebrating, even if there wasn’t much else for Raptors fans to cheer about.

Still, let’s not pretend a few individual positives make this a good night. Toronto lost by 23, struggled to shoot, got dominated on the boards and watched two of its key players deliver performances that simply weren’t good enough.

Leonard’s absence was a blow, but it doesn’t explain everything. The Raptors were outplayed, and too many players failed to meet the moment. The frustrating thing is that this team had given fans reasons to be optimistic after its first two games. Sunday was a reminder that there’s still plenty to figure out, particularly on offence.

Toronto gets Orlando on Wednesday and Friday. After this performance, they owe their fans a much better effort. because of Sunday’s game? Well, that’s one everyone in Toronto will want to forget.