Scottie Barnes Backs Ja'kobe Walter After 0-for-15 Slide

Scottie Barnes said the Raptors still have full trust in ja'kobe walter after the young wing went 0-for-15 from the floor over his last two games. Walter’s slump has come in a playoff series against Cleveland, but Toronto has already banked two huge wins and is still leaning on his defense.

Scottie Barnes on Walter

“We believe in him. We trust in him. They're closing out pretty hard, on every shot he's taken. He missed some easy ones, but you know, we still got the full trust, faith in him that he's going to make those shots. It's all going to come to show.” Barnes said that after Walter’s latest two-game stretch left him 0-for-11 from three.

The message was direct. Walter was one of the Raptors’ best shooters after the All-Star break, then hit a rough patch against Cleveland. Barnes did not lean on excuses or soften the line: defenders have tightened up on every shot, and the wing still has the team’s backing.

Walter’s Two-Game Stretch

The numbers explain why the slump has stood out. Walter missed all 15 of his shots over the two games, including 11 attempts from beyond the arc. For a player who had been trending up after the All-Star break, that kind of drought can change how he is used in a playoff rotation, especially when shots are harder to come by and every possession is guarded closer.

Even so, his role did not disappear. Walter was still contributing on the defensive end, which kept him connected to Toronto’s plan while the offense stalled. That is the part Barnes was protecting with his comments: a young wing can go cold and still remain useful if he is affecting the game in other ways.

Raptors Against Cleveland

The backdrop is Toronto’s series against Cleveland, where the Raptors have already won two huge games. That leaves Walter’s slump in a very different light than a random cold streak in the regular season. The shots have not fallen, but the trust has not gone with them.

Brandon Ingram had also previously shown Walter support, and Barnes’ latest remarks reinforced the same message from another core Raptors voice. For Walter, the immediate task is simple: keep taking the looks that open up and let the next make reset the line. Toronto has made clear it is not moving away from him after two bad shooting nights.