Official Scottie Barnes Thread - Part 5

[Tha Cynic]

This is it exactly. He's being developed as a role player in our current roster. I'm not sure how you expect some offensive explosion from there next season when he's barely taking mid range jumpers or trying anything other than inside pushshots and open 3s. He needs to fail doing things more dynamic in a lost season imo.

They’re in win now mode.

Scottie being a role player is their best chance to win in the short term.

Long term ? I don’t think it’s the best pathway for him to come into his full potential but that’s the path they’ve chosen.

Leaps come from off season work and usage/repetition.

Barnes made his improvement half way through the season last year and is starting to do that again this year. And he's not a role player nor is he being treated like one. The ball is in his hands more near every fourth quarter, which is obviously his choice too.

And what this shows is that he gets better with game rep. That's why I think you simply have to live with him trying different things in game in a lost season to help him grow for next season.

[James_Raptors]

Masai called the team selfish in his deadline conference. This provides legitimacy to the comment.

Most of us watched it live.

Please provide the clip showing Masai specifying which person(s) he was referring to with his "selfish" comment, and an additional clip where Masai assures us he was not directing that comment towards Scottie Barnes. You can't, obviously. None of us can. So until we have concrete answers with a whole lot of specificity, then we're left to guess, like yourself. So let's just stick with what we know, rather than "what we hope it means". Or at the very least, allow for the distinction between fact and fiction. Speculation and innuendo have no basis in the reality we currently know. Sharing opinions? Nifty, we all do that. Welcome aboard.

Did he mean just one player? Doubtful.

So it wasn't really a gotcha moment in that interview after all, especially when Masai could have meant Barnes in the "selfish" group and there was no mention of Fred whatsoever. In other words, we'll all guessing, but only a select few are ectrapolitating Masai's comments to fit a pre-determined narrative. My advice to you is to peddle in facts, "what we know", rather than contriving details so they support your opinion piece.

[Tor_Raps]

Draft results with Banchero being selected 1st, Wagner 2nd, etc.

Team Pau
Paolo Banchero (Magic)
Benedict Mathurin (Pacers)
Jaden Ivey (Pistons)
Scottie Barnes (Raptors)
Jose Alvarado (Pelicans)
Keegan Murray (Kings)
Andrew Nembhard (Pacers)

Team Deron
Franz Wagner (Magic)
Jalen Green (Rockets)
Alperen Sengun (Rockets)
Trey Murphy III (Pelicans)
AJ Griffin (Hawks)
Bones Hyland (Nuggets)
Walker Kessler (Jazz)

Team Joakim
Evan Mobley (Cavaliers)
Josh Giddey (Thunder)
Jalen Williams (Thunder)
Jeremy Sochan (Spurs)
Quentin Grimes (Knicks)
Jabari Smith Jr. (Rockets)
Jalen Duren (Pistons)

Team Jason (G League)
Sidy Cissoko, G League Ignite
Scoot Henderson, G League Ignite
Mojave King, G League Ignite
Kenneth Lofton Jr., Memphis Hustle
Mac McClung, Delaware Blue Coats
Leonard Miller, G League Ignite
Scotty Pippen Jr., South Bay Lakers

[Tor_Raps]

Why the hell was Barnes drafted so low? Lol

[HumbleRen]

Why the hell was Barnes drafted so low? Lol

Raps are irrelevant, his play from November to late December has shaped a narrative around him that won’t be shaken off in the national media unless he makes a big leap and the new rookies are the the new shiny toy now.

[Johnny Bball]

The first thing Barnes says is I'm not looking to put nobody on notice and smiles and laughs! So naturallly, people posts that it says he wants to tell everyone that they are selfish! It's truly incredible that people lie to themselves every minute of every day.

[kanahda ballz]

It was mentioned during the broadcast of last Sundays game that Scottie Barnes is the only player in the NBA this season with:

800 Points
300 Rebounds
200 Assists
50 Steals
40 Blocks

Read on Twitter

?lang=en

Even taking into account games missed by players due to injuries and pro rating their numbers for the full amount of their teams games played, the only other player to match those numbers over the 5 categories would be Joel Embiid.

Giannis just missed in the steals category and Tatum just missed in the blocks category.

Yes, it is somewhat nitpicking of stats. However, it demonstrates the versatility of this 2nd year NBA player.

And with probable big leaps in points per game and assists per game over the next 3-4 years, this goes to show how much of a high ceiling this 21 year old player may have.

[aminiaturebuddha]

Draft results with Banchero being selected 1st, Wagner 2nd, etc.

Team Pau
Paolo Banchero (Magic)
Benedict Mathurin (Pacers)
Jaden Ivey (Pistons)
Scottie Barnes (Raptors)
Jose Alvarado (Pelicans)
Keegan Murray (Kings)
Andrew Nembhard (Pacers)

Team Deron
Franz Wagner (Magic)
Jalen Green (Rockets)
Alperen Sengun (Rockets)
Trey Murphy III (Pelicans)
AJ Griffin (Hawks)
Bones Hyland (Nuggets)
Walker Kessler (Jazz)

Team Joakim
Evan Mobley (Cavaliers)
Josh Giddey (Thunder)
Jalen Williams (Thunder)
Jeremy Sochan (Spurs)
Quentin Grimes (Knicks)
Jabari Smith Jr. (Rockets)
Jalen Duren (Pistons)

Team Jason (G League)
Sidy Cissoko, G League Ignite
Scoot Henderson, G League Ignite
Mojave King, G League Ignite
Kenneth Lofton Jr., Memphis Hustle
Mac McClung, Delaware Blue Coats
Leonard Miller, G League Ignite
Scotty Pippen Jr., South Bay Lakers

I actually really like Scottie's team for this format. No true center, but that doesn't really matter in a glorified pick-up game that'll mostly be played in transition. They've got Scottie and Paolo for all around play in the paint and passing and rebounding, Mathurin and Ivey as scorers, and then two real point guards in Nembhard and Alvarado. Maybe a little weak on 3-point shooting, but they'll be getting transition bucket galore.

If the games were longer, Scottie might be looking at some triple doubles.

[Los_29]

Does anyone think Houston giving Jalen Green the green light on offense benefitted him and the team in anyway? The consensus is it hasn't and has only been detrimental to his development. On the flipside, you have Evan Mobley who has basically been turned into a role-player where the majority of his points are assisted. Scottie is right in the middle of these two and it's where he should be.

While I agree Houston's approach is detrimental, I think they're missing a key ingredient in their tank. They need a point guard in the worst way, Houston's playing some disorganized basketball. Green suffering and worse is Jabari needs a guard to find him shots.

I like OKC rebuild the best so far out of the tanking teams.

Jalen Williams looks like a solid player with some upside. That rebuild would have been a disaster though had they not gotten SGA from the Clippers. Clippers didn't care who they were giving up because they knew that Kawhi was signing with them. Normally, it would have cost a lot less to get a player like Paul George.

Rockets need to get rid of KPJ. He's just not a winning player. I agree, they could use a point guard.

[Brinbe]

Read on Twitter

this kills me because it's so true lol. scottie is the definition of team. can't believe I doubted him. hope he never loses that aspect of his game. those are the intangibles/emotional iq sort of sht you won't find on a stat sheet.

[TorontoBarneys]

Read on Twitter

this kills me because it's so true lol. scottie is the definition of team. can't believe I doubted him. hope he never loses that aspect of his game. those are the intangibles/emotional iq sort of sht you won't find on a stat sheet.

No worries, he got us.

We just need to sort out the gems from the riff-raff this offseason and keep growing.

[stanch sabonis]

I feel like this question deserves its own thread to get as many opinions as possible but at the same time it really doesn't.

Why do you think there is such a huge disparity between perception of Scottie Barnes inside the fanbase and outside it? I mean the obvious answer would be "of course a fanbase rates its player higher than the outside" but that isn't really satisfying or even the point here. There are plenty of players from other teams that regular nba fans, analysts, talking heads, former players, etc think highly of or low of. There is an overall discussion among all players league wide.

Surely you've seen how down people are on Scottie Barnes. A lot of times he isn't mentioned at all when talking about young players and when mention it's in an unflattering light. It's gotten to the point I'm numb to it. Why is he so thought of so lowly now especially compared to how the fanbase sees him?

[Mikistan]

I feel like this question deserves its own thread to get as many opinions as possible but at the same time it really doesn't.

Why do you think there is such a huge disparity between perception of Scottie Barnes inside the fanbase and outside it? I mean the obvious answer would be "of course a fanbase rates its player higher than the outside" but that isn't really satisfying or even the point here. There are plenty of players from other teams that regular nba fans, analysts, talking heads, former players, etc think highly of or low of. There is an overall discussion among all players league wide.

Surely you've seen how down people are on Scottie Barnes. A lot of times he isn't mentioned at all when talking about young players and when mention it's in an unflattering light. It's gotten to the point I'm numb to it. Why is he so thought of so lowly now especially compared to how the fanbase sees him?

I've been seeing this on reddit this weekend a lot - a ton of fans dont like Scottie Barnes just because of how Raptors fans pump him. Which is a very cringe reason for disliking a player.

Ultimately its a mix of xenophobia as he plays for the 1 non-USA team
+ he surprised people winning ROTY and his competitions fan bases wont give him credit (and there is more competition than usual for a ROTY year with CLE, MIA, OKC, DET all thinking they had guys who could have won it).

Lastly, he doesnt his 3s, and he has been hot/cold in games before dazzling and taking over at other times.

He's going to be a superstar either way

[REJECTEDBYCLARK]

Scottie Barnes in his prime, used properly by the team he is with, will be able to get triple doubles in his sleep.

[stanch sabonis]

I feel like this question deserves its own thread to get as many opinions as possible but at the same time it really doesn't.

Why do you think there is such a huge disparity between perception of Scottie Barnes inside the fanbase and outside it? I mean the obvious answer would be "of course a fanbase rates its player higher than the outside" but that isn't really satisfying or even the point here. There are plenty of players from other teams that regular nba fans, analysts, talking heads, former players, etc think highly of or low of. There is an overall discussion among all players league wide.

Surely you've seen how down people are on Scottie Barnes. A lot of times he isn't mentioned at all when talking about young players and when mention it's in an unflattering light. It's gotten to the point I'm numb to it. Why is he so thought of so lowly now especially compared to how the fanbase sees him?

I've been seeing this on reddit this weekend a lot - a ton of fans dont like Scottie Barnes just because of how Raptors fans pump him. Which is a very cringe reason for disliking a player.

Ultimately its a mix of xenophobia as he plays for the 1 non-USA team
+ he surprised people winning ROTY and his competitions fan bases wont give him credit (and there is more competition than usual for a ROTY year with CLE, MIA, OKC, DET all thinking they had guys who could have won it).

Lastly, he doesnt his 3s, and he has been hot/cold in games before dazzling and taking over at other times.

He's going to be a superstar either way

Raptor fans in general are very very disliked on the internet and that explains a lot of the internet fan perception towards him. Also his "bag" isn't great and people will absolutely harp on that. I think that is a good explanation for the internet fan stuff which mostly is trolling anyway.

But it goes beyond that as even people who talk about the game for content, media people, former players, etc they mostly don't think of him as that great. Like he's flat out not mentioned at all. He's a total non entity. Is he closer to this value than what we think of him as in the general Raptor fan consensus? I don't really buy into the whole xenophobia thing much outside people flat out just not watching Raptor games but like actively hating the team and its players because it's in Canada is a reach too far for me lol

[Zeno]

Read on Twitter

this kills me because it's so true lol. scottie is the definition of team. can't believe I doubted him. hope he never loses that aspect of his game. those are the intangibles/emotional iq sort of sht you won't find on a stat sheet.

It kills me that it is perceived he is having a down year but is starting beside two guys looking to get paid in free agency, an all-nba player looking to qualify for the super-max and another who apparently has been asking for a bigger role since last season. With what we know of Scottie's personality he has been wonderfully assertive and productive given the situation.

[Los_29]

Despite a pretty poor start to the season, I think we can all be happy with the way Scottie has come out in 2023. Needs to be a bit more consistent and play better on the road but overall, he's really starting to improve defensively and is picking his spots better offensively.

There is no one I'd rather have from his draft class. He's got the most potential and despite being seen as the biggest project in the top 5, he's right there with the best guys. Franz is ahead of him this year but he won't be in 2-3 years.

[pingpongrac]

I feel like this question deserves its own thread to get as many opinions as possible but at the same time it really doesn't.

Why do you think there is such a huge disparity between perception of Scottie Barnes inside the fanbase and outside it? I mean the obvious answer would be "of course a fanbase rates its player higher than the outside" but that isn't really satisfying or even the point here. There are plenty of players from other teams that regular nba fans, analysts, talking heads, former players, etc think highly of or low of. There is an overall discussion among all players league wide.

Surely you've seen how down people are on Scottie Barnes. A lot of times he isn't mentioned at all when talking about young players and when mention it's in an unflattering light. It's gotten to the point I'm numb to it. Why is he so thought of so lowly now especially compared to how the fanbase sees him?

I think the easiest way to explain it is that not many non-Raptors fans/media are tuning into our games unless their team is playing us. With that in mind, they probably see Scottie's stats (16/7/5 on 53 TS%) and just assume he is having a down year after some people already thought he was an undeserved ROTY last season. The reality is he had a few really rough stretches and there was no consistency whatsoever in his play over the first ~25 games of his sophomore season, but he has been a better version of his post-ASB self from last season over the last ~30 games and he has been making an impact all over the court. Again, that hasn't quite showed up in his stats for the season yet though and that is the easiest way to judge talent on a team where you might only see a handful of games.

[Badonkadonk]

They’re in win now mode.

Scottie being a role player is their best chance to win in the short term.

Long term ? I don’t think it’s the best pathway for him to come into his full potential but that’s the path they’ve chosen.

Leaps come from off season work and usage/repetition.

Barnes made his improvement half way through the season last year and is starting to do that again this year. And he's not a role player nor is he being treated like one. The ball is in his hands more near every fourth quarter, which is obviously his choice too.

And what this shows is that he gets better with game rep. That's why I think you simply have to live with him trying different things in game in a lost season to help him grow for next season.

They've been doing that though. He was awful as the initiating PG earlier this season, they encourage him to shoot threes despite his inefficiency, Nurse begs him to take his man to the rim all the time, most recently he's thrived more outside the key and at the elbows as a facilitator when there's movement in the offense, Nick keeps him on the floor despite some brutal defensive reads that get Malachi, Banton and others benched quickly etc.

I don't think they're 'developing' him as a support player, he's learning in too many different areas to say that imo

[stanch sabonis]

I feel like this question deserves its own thread to get as many opinions as possible but at the same time it really doesn't.

Why do you think there is such a huge disparity between perception of Scottie Barnes inside the fanbase and outside it? I mean the obvious answer would be "of course a fanbase rates its player higher than the outside" but that isn't really satisfying or even the point here. There are plenty of players from other teams that regular nba fans, analysts, talking heads, former players, etc think highly of or low of. There is an overall discussion among all players league wide.

Surely you've seen how down people are on Scottie Barnes. A lot of times he isn't mentioned at all when talking about young players and when mention it's in an unflattering light. It's gotten to the point I'm numb to it. Why is he so thought of so lowly now especially compared to how the fanbase sees him?

I think the easiest way to explain it is that not many non-Raptors fans/media are tuning into our games unless their team is playing us. With that in mind, they probably see Scottie's stats (16/7/5 on 53 TS%) and just assume he is having a down year after some people already thought he was an undeserved ROTY last season. The reality is he had a few really rough stretches and there was no consistency whatsoever in his play over the first ~25 games of his sophomore season, but he has been a better version of his post-ASB self from last season over the last ~30 games and he has been making an impact all over the court. Again, that hasn't quite showed up in his stats for the season yet though and that is the easiest way to judge talent on a team where you might only see a handful of games.

Yeah, I think this is an interesting take on it. I also caught some strays here as did many fans