[ad_1]
Going into the 2021 NBA draft, the Toronto Raptors appeared completely positioned to pick out their level guard of the long run, changing soon-to-depart team legend Kyle Lowry. When Toronto’s decide got here up, nonetheless on the board have been Jalen Suggs, who led a Gonzaga crew that was ranked No. 1 within the nation all through the regular season, and Davion Mitchell, who led Baylor to a national championship over Suggs and Gonzaga. The Raptors have been out there for a major ball handler, and it appeared like they’d find yourself with an apparent match.
However when the time got here, Toronto chosen 6-foot-7 Scottie Barnes, who spent nearly all of his lone faculty season at Florida State coming off the bench. Scouts noticed him as a possible standout playmaker and defender on the skilled degree, however he wasn’t a flashy choice, albeit a surprising one.
Now, simply three months into the 2021-22 NBA season, Barnes has exceeded all of his projections. Via Toronto’s first 37 video games, Barnes has confirmed to be a pivotal a part of the crew and has firmly inserted his identify into the Rookie of the Yr dialog, main all rookies in wins above alternative in FiveThirtyEight’s RAPTOR metric.
Barnes has started all 32 games that he has performed, and he ranks third on the crew in minutes per game. His 35.5 minutes per sport leads all rookies and is 14th-highest among all rookies for the reason that 2003-04 season, in line with Basketball-Reference.com.
Versatile on each ends of the court docket — he has above-average RAPTOR ratings on each offense and protection — Barnes has carved out a big position early in his profession. Together with his mixture of dimension and positional flexibility, the Raptors have typically matched him up on protection in opposition to the opposing crew’s greatest offensive participant(s), irrespective of the place.
Barnes has guarded a few of the league’s premier skills, together with Luka Dončić, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Khris Middleton, Jrue Vacation and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Up to now this season, Barnes’s most frequent defensive task has been Jayson Tatum (68 halfcourt matchups). In video games in opposition to Washington, Chicago and Boston, Barnes defended all 5 positions. In every of these video games, Barnes spent no less than one minute guarding all 5 beginning gamers.
Barnes has taken on a few of the league’s greatest
Notable NBA gamers with no less than 20 matchups defended by rookie Scottie Barnes, with their efficient field-goal share in these matchups
| Opponent | Crew | Matchups | Minutes | EFG Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jayson Tatum | Celtics | 68 | 84 | 53.3% |
| Khris Middleton | Bucks | 63 | 57 | 57.1 |
| Kevin Durant | Nets | 58 | 65 | 44.1 |
| Evan Mobley | Cavaliers | 40 | 33 | 42.9 |
| Malcolm Brogdon | Pacers | 34 | 48 | 55.6 |
| Bradley Beal | Wizards | 32 | 54 | 38.9 |
| Luka Dončić | Mavericks | 22 | 26 | 50.0 |
| James Harden | Nets | 21 | 29 | 33.3 |
Contemplating the caliber of gamers Barnes has guarded and his lack of NBA expertise, his +1.1 defensive RAPTOR rating — good for fourth-best amongst rookies this season — signifies robust defensive potential.
Barnes has been equally spectacular on the offensive end. He’s averaging 14.7 factors and eight.0 rebounds per sport, each of which rank within the high 5 amongst rookies this season. His 48.2 field-goal share ranks fourth amongst all rookies averaging 5 or extra shot makes an attempt per sport, and his 3.5 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.9 blocks per sport all rank among the many high 5 in rookie averages, as nicely. Barnes’s seven outings of no less than 20 factors are already the fifth-most for a rookie in Raptors franchise historical past.
After the Raptors chosen Barnes, there have been questions about how he would match on offense alongside two forwards, Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby, who’re almost similar to the rookie in dimension and who entered the season penciled into the beginning lineup. However Barnes has had no issues producing subsequent to Siakam and Anunoby; in reality, the crew has played better when each are on the ground with him. Barnes’s plus/minus is -0.2 with out Siakam and Anunoby on the ground, however that rises +2.8 when all three share the court docket.
Though he’s listed as a ahead, Barnes was a guard in faculty, and Toronto has seized on his playmaking means, utilizing him as a secondary ball handler. Barnes has initiated the offense on 439 possessions this season, in line with Second Spectrum, which ranks second on the crew behind Fred VanVleet and is forward of the crew’s backup level guards. His rebounding prowess and open-court ball-handling have additionally created fast and simple photographs for himself and his teammates in transition.
He confirmed simply how shortly he can flip an opponent’s missed shot into factors the opposite means in a sport in opposition to the Magic in October.
Just a few months into his profession, Barnes has blown by draft-day expectations, and he seems to be to be a participant the Raptors will have the ability to rely on sooner or later. If he continues to play nicely at each ends of the court docket and develop at his present tempo, Rookie of the Yr won’t be the only award he has an opportunity of successful.
Take a look at our newest NBA predictions.
[ad_2]
Source link