Nurse sees improvement in Barnes since last season

Nick Nurse's challenge to Scottie Barnes heading into this past off-season was to keep improving his game. Pretty straightforward, but not necessarily so easy coming off an outstanding rookie season.

VICTORIA – Nick Nurse’s challenge to Scottie Barnes heading into this past off-season was to keep improving his game. Pretty straightforward, but not necessarily so easy coming off an outstanding rookie season.

“We were all talking about what’s his ceiling? What’s his ceiling? What’s his ceiling? And for me, it’s he continues to play as hard and competes as hard as he can … with experience and time and skill work and the skills improving, he’ll just keep heading toward that ceiling,” Nurse said.

“But I think that’s a challenge, right? I think it’s a challenge,” he added. “Kid played hard last year and the kid competed last year, and can you continue to do that each time the ball goes up?”

The 21-year-old Barnes, drafted fourth overall by Toronto, earned NBA rookie of the year honours last season, averaging 15.3 points on 49.2-per cent shooting, 7.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists a game.

Four days into training camp at the University of Victoria, Nurse has seen an improvement in Barnes’ shooting.

“It feels like it’s better and he’s making more in the rhythm of what we’re doing,” Nurse said after Friday’s practice. “He’s not hesitating to take them at all, the threes. He’s still doing the rest of the stuff. He’s got that long, slow, strong drive where he puts it in the basket.

“He’s got that pull-up thing when he has a size advantage. But the frequency with which he’s letting them go is certainly on the rise.”

Nurse said Barnes has made improvements to his six-foot-nine 227-pound body as well.