Official Scottie Barnes Thread - Part 5

[Duffman100]

I know not everything gets on video obviously, but is his trainer having Barnes work on his handles? That to me was the most important skill to hone this offseason. His jumper isn't going to get that good in one off season.

Honestly if Barnes can stick a free throw line jumper reliably with increased handles, that would lead to a huge jump for him

[Vampirate]

I've said it before, the one determining factor will be Barnes ability to get to the FT line consistently.

The 3 point shot is going to be hot and cold, but in general, Barnes has demonstrated to be competent at his free throws.

[ForeverTFC]

I've said it before, the one determining factor will be Barnes ability to get to the FT line consistently.

The 3 point shot is going to be hot and cold, but in general, Barnes has demonstrated to be competent at his free throws.

Doesn't that come down to his handles though?

The excitement around Scottie in his first year was his ability to operate in the mid-range and hit shots there which faded in his second year. I recognize that the floor wasn't well spaced, but it wasn't in the first year either. His efficiency went down pretty drastically both in the paint and in the mid-range. His shot profile looks pretty similar both seasons.

He needs a better handle to be able to work around what the defense is giving him and get himself more comfortable shots. And yes, that can also allow him to draw more fouls.

Handles is the most important skill he needs to work on, especially if he wants to operate like a lead guard, and it's still below average.

[Federalies]

I've said it before, the one determining factor will be Barnes ability to get to the FT line consistently.

The 3 point shot is going to be hot and cold, but in general, Barnes has demonstrated to be competent at his free throws.

Doesn't that come down to his handles though?

The excitement around Scottie in his first year was his ability to operate in the mid-range and hit shots there which faded in his second year. I recognize that the floor wasn't well spaced, but it wasn't in the first year either. His efficiency went down pretty drastically both in the paint and in the mid-range. His shot profile looks pretty similar both seasons.

He needs a better handle to be able to work around what the defense is giving him and get himself more comfortable shots. And yes, that can also allow him to draw more fouls.

Handles is the most important skill he needs to work on, especially if he wants to operate like a lead guard, and it's still below average.

I’d agree he needs to improve his handles but I’d suggest shooting is the swing skill. He needs to be able to draw defenders out from the key with his shooting so they don’t sag and clog the paint. Shooting includes from the stripe where he needs to punish defenders when he drives to the basket on close outs and in transition. Finally, given his size and other attributes, Scottie doesn’t need Stephs handles but they need to be better. Magic was one of one but as the original jumbo creator, no one would say he had an amazing handle!

[SkywalkerAC]

No one would say Magic had an incredible jumper either.

[SkywalkerAC]

I've said it before, the one determining factor will be Barnes ability to get to the FT line consistently.

The 3 point shot is going to be hot and cold, but in general, Barnes has demonstrated to be competent at his free throws.

Doesn't that come down to his handles though?

The excitement around Scottie in his first year was his ability to operate in the mid-range and hit shots there which faded in his second year. I recognize that the floor wasn't well spaced, but it wasn't in the first year either. His efficiency went down pretty drastically both in the paint and in the mid-range. His shot profile looks pretty similar both seasons.

He needs a better handle to be able to work around what the defense is giving him and get himself more comfortable shots. And yes, that can also allow him to draw more fouls.

Handles is the most important skill he needs to work on, especially if he wants to operate like a lead guard, and it's still below average.

Scottie mid ranger did tick up about ten points over the last third of the season though, which is interesting because that is also with Poeltl in the mix. Maybe it helped to know he needed to take/make those shots so was more decisive.

Drawing fouls is also a lot to do with fakes, but you need the middie in your bag to get the defender to bite.

And then you need that draw-the-foul form that a lot of young players haven’t mastered. Vince Carter certainly didn’t have that technique down most of his time in Toronto.

[TheAlchemist23]

I don't know why everyone is obsessed with a jumper, if he could slash to the rim consistently and draw free throws that'd be way more ideal than being the same undersized center role player with a jumper.

[Los_29]

I don't know why everyone is obsessed with a jumper, if he could slash to the rim consistently and draw free throws that'd be way more ideal than being the same undersized center role player with a jumper.

He struggles to get by his man now and that’s largely because they sag off of him because he has no jumper. His shooting will determine how good of a player he becomes. If he can’t develop a jumper then he’s still going to be a good player but likely not a star.

[HumbleRen]

Read on Twitter

[ItsDanger]

I don't know why everyone is obsessed with a jumper, if he could slash to the rim consistently and draw free throws that'd be way more ideal than being the same undersized center role player with a jumper.

Unless you have top 10 player, the sum of the parts matter more than the individual. But the team must adjust their style accordingly. Try playing like other teams doing 5 out or drive and kick for 3s will fail.

[AbC?]

Read on Twitter

Jalen Williams easily

[Tha Cynic]

Barnes has already shown that he knows how to attack when teams sag. The issue right now is that the team doesn't really play one in 4 out on offense so typically Barnes is forced to play with Poeltl and Siakam clogging the lane (this is an issue for each of the three). From everything we have seen though, he typically adapts pretty quickly to what the defense does. Sag? He'll take a running start and overwhelm player at the rim. Play tight? He can get by you with one giant step. This isn't a concern at all. The sagging worked for two games before he quickly forced the defense to change that strategy.

Also, imo he missed a ton of gimmies near the rim that he was elite at in his rookie season and that really hurt his TS%. I see him getting back to those rookie levels. I'm not too worried about his efficiency because he takes food shots. He needs to refine his touch. My bigger concern is how often he will attack with a scoring mentality. If he's ready to just kill teams with his scoring, he will really change the projection of this team. I have seen him take over games in multiple ways that I haven't seen from others in his class. The issue is of course he didn't do it consistently enough.

Jalen Green has a looong way to go before he impacts the game like Barnes was even doing in his rookie season. His archetype needs to be elite at shooting since they don't bring a whole lot of anything else that change the outcome of games.

[mademan]

No one would say Magic had an incredible jumper either.

Different era. Magic would have to become a legit 3pt threat to be at the top of the league in 2023

[Zeno]

Read on Twitter

Lol I read those as contracts initially. I’m basically signed to a 21 year 1 million dollar deal too.

[HiJiNX]

I can’t wait until Barnes proves so many people wrong.

[KP730]

Barnes has already shown that he knows how to attack when teams sag. The issue right now is that the team doesn't really play one in 4 out on offense so typically Barnes is forced to play with Poeltl and Siakam clogging the lane (this is an issue for each of the three). From everything we have seen though, he typically adapts pretty quickly to what the defense does. Sag? He'll take a running start and overwhelm player at the rim. Play tight? He can get by you with one giant step. This isn't a concern at all. The sagging worked for two games before he quickly forced the defense to change that strategy.

Also, imo he missed a ton of gimmies near the rim that he was elite at in his rookie season and that really hurt his TS%. I see him getting back to those rookie levels. I'm not too worried about his efficiency because he takes food shots. He needs to refine his touch. My bigger concern is how often he will attack with a scoring mentality. If he's ready to just kill teams with his scoring, he will really change the projection of this team. I have seen him take over games in multiple ways that I haven't seen from others in his class. The issue is of course he didn't do it consistently enough.

Jalen Green has a looong way to go before he impacts the game like Barnes was even doing in his rookie season. His archetype needs to be elite at shooting since they don't bring a whole lot of anything else that change the outcome of games.

exactly

Barnes has limitations in terms of certain particular skills, like pure shooting, sure. however he has a rare combination of size/iq with his skillset that makes him hard for teams to stop. how he performs and can dominate in 4th quarters, the times when teams really lock down on defence, shows this

Barnes’ issues have been to do this consistently, for an entire game. conditioning seemed like a factor, mindset too. Hopefully that improves this season

[KP730]

No one would say Magic had an incredible jumper either.

Different era. Magic would have to become a legit 3pt threat to be at the top of the league in 2023

just like Giannis

[KP730]

I can’t wait until Barnes proves so many people wrong.

Barnes being underrated like crazy by the Raps own fan base

that’s OK tho, everyone will be on the same page soon enough

[ForeverTFC]

No one would say Magic had an incredible jumper either.

Different era. Magic would have to become a legit 3pt threat to be at the top of the league in 2023

just like Giannis

Magic became a very good shooter by his MVP years. But he wasn't that great a shooter to begin his career. His handles were great from the beginning though.

[HiJiNX]

I can’t wait until Barnes proves so many people wrong.

Barnes being underrated like crazy by the Raps own fan base

that’s OK tho, everyone will be on the same page soon enough

You see it. Like you said in your other post, Barnes has a rare combination of size and IQ that makes him hard to handle. You know what superstars have? The ability to overwhelm the other team with speed or skill or size or IQ, regardless of what they’re trying to do and who they got doing it. Barnes has that. Like you said, he just needs to bring that more consistently. I’m not sure he even recognizes that he can be unstoppable whenever he wants. When that switch clicks for him is when he will take the leap we are all hoping for.

Personally, I expect him to take a small leap this year, probably as we get into the winter months. Next year is when I think he starts to get it and becomes the clear cut guy here, even if Siakam is still on the roster.