Scottie Barnes Has Been Excellent, But He Could Hold Raptors Back

Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes is having the best season of his career, and he's helping the team get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2021.

While Barnes has been a big boost for the team, questions remain about whether or not he can be the number one option for a title contender. The Athletic insider Eric Koreen takes a glimpse into the future of what life could be like with Barnes as the franchise cornerstone moving forward.

"Barnes is behind where I thought he would be after his rookie year and ahead of where I thought he would be after last year. That’s not so bad in terms of team-building, but it’s problematic because Barnes is relatively limited as a scorer. When you’re paying someone 25 percent of the cap — more in the future, if the relationship extends beyond his current deal — that is a tough obstacle," Koreen wrote.

"His pairing with Ingram, regardless of the specifics, has shown a better version of Barnes: one who impacts defence in every possible way, helps the Raptors push the pace and seeks out shots that make sense for him. It hasn’t been a huge leap or anything, but Barnes is at a career-best 53.0 effective field-goal percentage. That’s certainly not because he’s improved from 3. Rather, he’s cut out some of the tough shots he relied on when he was the top option offensively."

Raptors May Not Achieve Goals With Scottie Barnes

Toronto Raptors guard Scottie Barnes dribbles against the New York Knicks. | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Perhaps Barnes is best served as the second or third option on a title contender, but that would mean Toronto would need to bring in more talent into the building. The team currently is not in a position to do that, so that could be worrisome down the line.

That being said, Barnes is still improving as a basketball player, and the Raptors need to see how far he can go before making these strong evaluations.

The concerns are valid, but Barnes can still grow as an offensive player and scorer. If he can see some kind of growth in that aspect of his game, he could emerge as an MVP candidate. He doesn't have to be the leading scorer of the team necessarily, but he needs to improve drastically as a shooter otherwise he cannot be the leading option for the Raptors.

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