Raptors Scottie Barnes Shares One of His 'Favorite Shots' But Balance Remains Key

Toronto Raptors All-Star Scottie Barnes says the pull-up transition three is one of his favorite shots but finding the balance will be key this season

Oct 11, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (4) dribbles the ball as Washington Wizards forward Alex Sarr (20) defends in the second quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The Boston Celtics were happy to let Scottie Barnes shoot.

The Toronto Raptors All-Star forward scooped up the inbound pass and took three long dribbles as he sprinted his way up the court before stopping. A screen from Jakob Poeltl created space for Barnes who calmly collected himself with 21 seconds on the shot clock and let it fly.

Bucket.

When it goes in, the transition pull-up three is a thing of beauty. It was a shot Kyle Lowry took so often, at times to the dismay of his former coaches. Usually, it’s a momentum-shifting shot. When it falls, it’s a quick three points for the offense that seemingly came out of nowhere. When it doesn’t, though, it’s an ugly shot and an offensive possession gone awry.

For Barnes, it’s not a particularly good shot.

He shot 2-for-10 on those running pull-up threes early in the shot clock last season and 17.5% on his pull-up threes for the year. For a player who is so physically gifted and can just bully his way into transition buckets in the paint, the finesse required to nail a pull-up three isn’t something the Raptors want him relying on too often.

But Barnes has been trying to get that shot into his repertoire.

“I’ve been working on that a lot this summer,” he said earlier this week. “It's honestly one of my favorite shots.”

The key is figuring out when it’s actually an OK shot to take.

Against the Celtics, he’d already seen one three-pointer fall and the Raptors made it a point of emphasis to take more three-pointers in the game.

“You want to come and shoot it, but let a couple fall before you shoot it,” Barnes said. “I have a lot of confidence in that shot, and I like taking those shots.”

Barnes is going to have the ball in his hands a lot more this season, especially bringing it up the court. Over the past few years, the organization hasn’t trusted his ball-handling enough to carry that responsibility, but so far this preseason that seems to have changed.

The key for Barnes will be finding the balance when it comes to pulling up early in the shot clock. Opposing teams are going to give him that shot on most nights and Barnes will have to decide if it’s a gamble worth taking.