Raptors See Future With Scottie Barnes As 'One of the Best Players in the League'

Scottie Barnes isn’t your typical NBA All-Star.

Look at the league’s elite, and you’ll find names like Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Nikola Jokic, Jalen Brunson, and Karl-Anthony Towns. They’re players known for lighting up the scoreboard and dominating offensively. They create shots from anywhere and put up numbers that make headlines.

Barnes, though, brings something entirely different to the table. While he is more than capable of big scoring nights, the Toronto Raptors’ franchise centerpiece thrives as a do-it-all force whose impact stretches far beyond scoring.

“That’s the type of player I am,” Barnes told reporters Sunday after practice. “I came into this league with that mindset. That’s how I always build myself off of.”

Consider his role coming out of Florida State. Barnes was the sixth man for the Seminoles, yet he played like a Swiss Army knife, handling the ball as a point guard while guarding bigs as a power forward. That rare versatility helped Florida State become one of the top teams in the country.

That same adaptability has been on full display in Toronto over the last few weeks. Barnes has taken on some of the league’s toughest matchups night after night. In a single three-game stretch, he went from defending Jayson Tatum to Giannis Antetokounmpo to Paolo Banchero. When Toronto faced Atlanta in consecutive games, Barnes shifted off the ball, using his defensive IQ to disrupt the Hawks’ offense and make life miserable for Trae Young.

“He’s taking all those challenges, and I feel like that’s what’s great about Scottie is that he’s not just focusing on offense, which he’s great at, but he’s also helping us on defense,” Chris Boucher told reporters.

It’s an exhausting job. Among the 62 players in the league with at least a 25 percent usage rate this season, Barnes ranks fourth in defensive "matchup difficulty," according to BBall-Index.

“I feel like I'm a great defender. I feel like it doesn't really get talked about enough,” Barnes told reporters Sunday. “I guard whoever. I can play one through five, guard whoever. That's what I pride myself on. Every time I step on the floor, that's what I'm ready to do.”

That’s not normal. But it’s that mindset that has allowed Barnes to anchor the Raptors’ defense, helping the team post the league’s second-best defensive rating over the last two weeks.

“The way he sets the tone, the way he plays defense, the way he’s sharing the ball, it’s raising the level for everybody else,” Raptors coach Darko Rajaković said Sunday. “He’s doing [an] outstanding job [of] talking in our huddles and timeouts. Really proud of him and of the work that he’s putting in and now and the results that we’re seeing.”

While the Raptors aren’t contending this season, Barnes’ development and defensive impact are laying the groundwork for the team’s future. His ability to take on the toughest assignments, elevate his teammates, and embrace the hard work is already transforming the Raptors' identity.

“When this guy, in the next couple of years, when he continues putting this type of work and intentional work, we’re going to be talking about one of the best players in the league,” Rajaković said.

Barnes might not look like the typical All-Star today, but his growth is undeniable. If this is just the beginning, the Raptors' future is in very good hands.