30 NBA Players in 30 Days: Scottie Barnes
Day 21 of our NBA season countdown brings us outside the border to talk about the Toronto Raptors and the Rookie of the Year this past season, Scottie Barnes. Just like when we talked about Patrick Williams, Barnes comes from the prototypical big wing build from Florida State. The 6’9 forward had a very impressive rookie year, and it was obvious right away that he was drafted into the perfect franchise for his skill set and what the Raptors love in their players. Toronto has a plethora of lengthy, versatile wings with Barnes, Siakam, Anunoby, and newly added Otto Porter Jr. Now I’ll go right ahead and say it, I absolutely love Scottie Barnes. This breakdown will be the perspective of a homer for Barnes and how the Raptors run their organization, but he does everything on a basketball court that I value the most. He plays with intelligence, with emotion, effort, and most of all, plays with joy. One of the best qualities in an NBA player is just the pure enjoyment they get out of playing basketball. It’s sad to admit, but there are definitely a lot of players in the NBA that are mostly playing to get their checks. And hey, I can’t blame them when they make millions of dollars, and will soon make more with the next TV deal that will happen in the next 2–3 years. But there is something about guys like Barnes where you can just tell he has always been the kid on the court that loved every minute of playing. There were a lot of questions about how high he should go after the consensus top 3 in his draft last year, but it is definitely clear that he was worthy of the 4th pick, and maybe should have gone in the top 3.
I like to think Barnes is Draymond Green 2.0. It is a bit awkward to think about Green and all of the positive things he does on a basketball court, when he is about to face disciplinary action from the Warriors for “striking” Jordan Poole in an altercation at practice a couple days ago. I get excited being able to watch Barnes play defense with intensity and see him wreak havoc for the opposing team. As a 6’9 forward with a 7’3 wingspan, he smothers players and can guard all five positions without breaking a sweat. Especially now that the only two centers he would probably have trouble guarding are Embiid and Jokić, he checks a lot of boxes from what you want out of your best defensive player. He has elite hands and IQ, and even though he is a big body, he can stay in front of quicker players because of his length and his feel for the game. He uses all of his physical tools to their full potential like a painter uses each individual color to bring their painting to life. It would not surprise me if he won a Defensive Player of the Year award multiple times in his career. The biggest question coming out of the draft for Barnes was what type of player will he be on offense? Are teams going to be able to sag off and just let him shoot? Will he be like Ben Simmons where you literally can stand below the free throw line if he’s at the top of the key? He shot 30.1% from behind the arc last season, and if he can get that closer to league average after a couple more seasons, then that will go a long way for him. He can grab a rebound and go coast-to-coast or find a teammate in transition with a nifty no-look pass. There was a funny quote he had leading up to a game against the Lakers where the reporter asked him, “What did LeBron mean to you as a kid before you got to the league?” and Barnes started his answer saying, “I was really a big Kobe Fan”. The funny part is that his game today is more comparable to LeBron than Kobe.
I can talk about how good I think Barnes can be all day, but the biggest question for him in his situation with the Raptors is how will everything fit? I mentioned that the Raptors love to deploy that big wing archetype of player, but will it get them farther than just a fun defensive team that can possibly make noise in the playoffs? The Raptors are going to be a great regular season team and I expect them to make one of the top six seeds to avoid the Play-In Tournament. We might be having the awkward conversation in a season or two of having to commit to either Pascal Siakam or Scottie Barnes. Siakam’s contract is up at the end of 2024 (when the new TV deal may possibly kick in). By that time, Barnes should be ready to get the rookie max extension from the Raptors. The timing could not be any more perfect if Siakam does not improve in the next two seasons, and Barnes would be the centerpiece to build around in Toronto. But for now, let’s just enjoy the guy who looks like he enjoys playing basketball the most in the NBA.
