Kelly Olynyk Shares What's Impressed him Most About Scottie Barnes

Kelly Olynyk knew Scottie Barnes was special.

He’d played against the Toronto Raptors All-Star five times over the past three seasons and spent some time working out with Barnes in the summer. In those moments, it was clear to Olynyk that Barnes had potential.

“Scottie’s kind of a jack of all trades,” Olynyk said Wednesday afternoon just hours after arriving in Toronto. “He’s improved leaps and bounds in so many ways. So I’m really excited to play with him.”

It wasn’t until Saturday, though, that Olynyk got an up-close look at Barnes and realized just how special Toronto’s franchise cornerstone truly is.

“He's definitely a way better passer than I knew or imagined,” Olynyk said Saturday night. “He sees the floor really well, and his IQ is really high. He's coming up to me, telling me things that that I see and I know but he's telling me them before I tell him. It's really fun to see that and see him continue to develop and grow and continue to be vocal.”

Barnes’ all-world talents were on full display against the Cavaliers. Sure, his scoring was impressive, 24 points on 15 shots taken was the kind of production Toronto has been looking for from the 22-year-old forward. But most impressive, was the kind of passes Barnes was making.

He fired a one-handed dart out of the pick-and-roll to find Gary Trent Jr. in the corner when Max Strus wandered too far into the paint in the first quarter. In the second, he caught Sam Merrill too far from Trent and turned a post-up attempt into another left-handed dime to Trent for three.

This pass from Scottie Barnes last night was pretty insane pic.twitter.com/kkz05mVWna
— 𝐀𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐧 𝐑𝐨𝐬𝐞 (@AaronBenRose) February 11, 2024

“He does a really good job of scanning the court and finding who's open,” Raptors coach Darko Rajaković said of Barnes’ post-up passing. “I thought that this was probably his best post-up game this season, in regards to finding the balance, when to attack and score, and when to find his teammates. He had a couple outstanding passes from the post-ups.”

In the third, Barnes threaded a touchdown pass from his own backcourt to RJ Barrett under the hoop for a layup and finished the night with a season-high 10 assists.

In a league where superstars are so often judged by their points per game, Barnes may be different. He’s the kind of player who can impact the game in a variety of ways and has the passing chops to make those around him better.

Over time, his scoring will certainly improve. It’s jumped nearly five points per game this season alone. But what’ll make Barnes truly elite, is his combination of skills and the pick-your-poison proposition he presents to opposing defenses. If you dare to send a double, he’ll burn you with a pinpoint pass.