Former 'Nole Scottie Barnes dominates in win over Boston Celtics

Barnes led all scorers and recorded his first career double-double.

Scottie Barnes went out and had a career night in just his second game. Against the Boston Celtics last night, Barnes led all scorers with 25 points (11/17), while also chipping in 13 rebounds (6 offensive), 2 assists, and a +29 while leading the Raptors to a dominating 115-83 win.

Barnes is in a situation where he may have the biggest offensive role he’s ever had. At Montverde Academy, he played alongside Cade Cunningham and Moses Moody, and at Florida State, he never took more than 13 shots in a game. His first two games with the Toronto Raptors have produced 13 and 17 shots. So far, he’s cashing in.

The former Five-Star prospect left Florida State after one season after being ACC 6th Man of the Year and Freshman of the Year, averaging 10.3 PPG, 4.0 RPG, and 4.1 APG and became the 4th Overall Pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. His career highs in college were 21 points and 9 rebounds.

Some other NBA 'Noles Notes…

Devin Vassell opened the season with the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night with a stellar start. He came off of the bench to score 19 points on 12 shots, while adding 5 assists, 2 steals, and 2 rebounds. 19 points is his career-high in the NBA.

Patrick Williams has played two games with his new-look Chicago Bulls and finished with 8 points and 4 rebounds in their most recent win over the New Orleans Pelicans. He’s on a team with a lot of scoring around him in DeMar Derozan, Zach Lavine, and Nikola Vucevic, so it’s not a surprise he’s not being asked to score a lot.

Terance Mann and the Los Angeles Clippers opened their season Wednesday night against the Golden State Warriors, and Mann put up another solid outing: 11 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal. He’s fresh off of signing a contract extension this offseason. He arguably played the best defense of anyone that the Clippers threw at Stephen Curry.

Malik Beasley opened his season with 9 points, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks as his Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Rockets on Wednesday night.

Jonathan Isaac is still recovering from a knee injury in the bubble and should be returning sometime in the near future.