There is a perception that Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes has not lived up to expectations during the early stages of his sophomore season. Michael Grange of Sportsnet wrote on December 2nd that Barnes had not produced the same amount of big performances as he did as a rookie.
It’s not Barnes’ lows that have been head-scratching this season, it’s the lack of highs. The player who had a 31-point and 17-rebounds double-double against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers or stripped Kevin Durant multiple times on his way to 28 points, 16 rebounds, five steals and four assists or went into Boston for the second game of his NBA career and put up 25 points and 13 rebounds, has not yet shown himself through 21 games.
Unfortunately, Grange’s claims are misleading, as Barnes only had one 25-point performance through his first 20 outings last season. Barnes has put up a similar output this season, having 1 28 point performance.
The Raptors unwillingness to trade Scottie Barnes for Durant
The criticism surrounding Barnes’ play is related to the Raptors’ decision to reportedly not include him in their Kevin Durant trade proposal. When a team refuses to include a rising young player in a trade proposal for an established superstar, the expectations for the young player immediately skyrocket.
For example, the New York Knicks didn’t acquire Donovan Mitchell this past summer because of the asking price from the Utah Jazz. Marc Stein stated on July 15th that the Jazz wanted six first-round picks from the Knicks if they were hesitant to include young players like RJ Barrett. The Knicks balked at the asking price, putting a bigger spotlight on players like Barrett.
Unfortunately, Barrett has gotten off to a slow start shooting a career-low 40.4 percent from the field on 18.5 attempts per game in 23 outings. Barrett’s performance has the media doubting if New York made the right decision to balk at Utah’s asking price.
Ian O’Connor of the New York Post stated that Barrett has to become a superstar to validate the team’s decision not to acquire Mitchell.
Good question. Here’s a better one:
How will the fans respond if the 22-year-old Barrett never ascends to the level of stardom that the Knicks were banking on when they drafted him third overall in 2019, and when they gave him $120 million this summer, rather than a one-way ticket to Salt Lake City in a deal for Donovan Mitchell?
The Raptors currently have Scottie Barnes start most of his offensive possessions off the ball by standing on the wing. For example, Scottie stood on the right wing early in the first quarter against the Magic.
Barnes’ role in the Raptors offense
Barnes remained there for the entire possession as Fred VanVleet brought up to the three-point line and passed the ball to OG Anunoby. Anunoby proceeded to perform a bounce pass to Christian Koloko for a dunk. Toronto’s decision to use Barnes in a complementary offensive role has led him to do a little bit of everything.
He has spent 16.6% of his possessions in isolation and transition, averaging 2.7 per game, in each play type. Unfortunately, Barnes has struggled in isolation possessions since college shooting 30 percent on 10 attempts per game. Barnes hasn’t performed much better as a professional, shooting 42.2 % on 1.85 attempts per game.
The secondary offensive role has also contributed to him taking 3.9 shots from behind the arc this season. 29.6 percent of his shots. Barnes has struggled in this area, shooting 27.5% on 1.7 attempts per game. Barnes has slightly improved his percentage, with Toronto shooting 30.7 percent on 2.9 attempts.
Barnes’ best attributes
Toronto’s usage of Barnes doesn’t accentuate his strengths completely as he thrives in transition and near the rim. At Florida State University, Barnes spent 27% of his possessions in transition, on a total of 79 possessions. He was effective shooting 66% from the field 50 shots. Barnes’ transition success has transferred into the pros, shooting 55.5 percent on 2.3 attempts per game.
When Barnes couldn’t be in transition, he thrived near the basket at Florida State, averaging 1.29 points per finishing opportunity inside [76th percentile].
He has continued to excel around the basket as a professional, shooting 68% on four shots per game. There are several ways Nick can get Barnes closer to the basket i.e., cutting and roll man possessions. Barnes currently cuts to the basket 10.7 percent of the time averaging 1.7 possessions per game.
However, Barnes has not been used as a roll man this season. If Toronto makes these adjustments, Barnes will begin to post better statistics.
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