Former 'Nole Scottie Barnes impresses in NBA preseason debut
October has arrived and that means we're getting close to my favorite time of the year, when football and basketball collide. NBA teams have been going through training camp over the last week and the preseason officially tipped off on Sunday.
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With the 2021 season nearing, one of the most intriguing players in the rookie class is forward Scottie Barnes. He has the size and skill to develop into a do-it-all point forward at the professional level. Barnes displayed some of that talent on Monday night when he made his preseason debut with the Toronto Raptors.
Really, it looked like the same thing we saw him do at Florida State. Bring great energy to the floor, dish the rock out to his teammates, force steals with his length, and score when needed. In total, it turned into a very productive night for Barnes as he stacked the box score. He finished with 13 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks while being a game-high +19 in 25 minutes. Check out the highlights below.
The Florida native has an opportunity to make an instant impact on a Toronto team that is trying to find building blocks after Kyle Lowry's move to Miami. Starter Pascal Siakam is expected to miss at least the next few weeks, opening up even more playing time for Barnes.
As we saw on Monday, Barnes' ability to run in transition and find open players on offense could make the Raptors a dangerous team.
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