Aaron Gordon says Scottie Barnes when asked about "guy miscast in role as star who might excel as the ultimate glue guy"

[tsherkin]

Players who are walking triple-double threat can be termed as star or glue guy; its same thing for them.

I don't think people are saying he can't be A star, I think it's more about him not really looking like the ideal choice as the focal scorer, specifically. There's a difference. Scottie Pippen was a star and he wasn't a brilliant scorer (though better era-relative than Barnes), and no one confused him for not being a star player, you know?

[HiJiNX]

I still contend that he’s a future superstar and MVP scorer even though he’s not gonna average 25ppg. He impacts the game in every single way.

I see him as MVP "quality" with the way he impacts the game/his team, but I don't ever think he'll be a flat out scorer. I'm not sure what you mean by him being an MVP scorer, but not putting up 25ppg. I don't think those even exist now a days.

Top 5 in mvp voting this year were 26.4, 30, 34, 30.4, and 28.7. I don't see any way Scottie can be considered an MVP scorer, and manage below 25ppg. Unless I'm misunderstanding what you mean?

Yeah it was a typo haha I meant MVP candidate player.

[ash_k]

I still contend that he’s a future superstar and MVP scorer even though he’s not gonna average 25ppg. He impacts the game in every single way.

I see him as MVP "quality" with the way he impacts the game/his team, but I don't ever think he'll be a flat out scorer. I'm not sure what you mean by him being an MVP scorer, but not putting up 25ppg. I don't think those even exist now a days.

Top 5 in mvp voting this year were 26.4, 30, 34, 30.4, and 28.7. I don't see any way Scottie can be considered an MVP scorer, and manage below 25ppg. Unless I'm misunderstanding what you mean?

Yeah it was a typo haha I meant MVP candidate player.

Our expectation should be Barnes @Spurs-game.
Everybody went into that US televised game to check more of Wemby, at the end of it Scottie got the headlines as the next Kawhi...I have MVP-candidate-expectation myself

[Airmiess]

Only thing holding back Scottie from being a franchise player is his demeanor

[Ell Curry]

Quickly is not the kind of player you need to make organizational decisions to accommodate. Ideally he’s a 6th man, imo.

I mean it depends. If he can be used to acquire an all-star wing then sure, he goes.

But I think he's a structurally sound PG in the modern game if you have 2 offensive creators/scorers/ballhandlers (and we have 1 in Barnes) and he's shooting a ton of 3s, attacking closeouts and being meh instead of horrendous (like many starting PGs) on D.

Barrett is the one I think is ideally a 6th man. There's very few wings like him on teams that made the final 8 this year for a reason.

Quickley-2025-3+D-Barnes-Poeltl
2024/26-Dick-2026/24

is how I see things, if you figure we go 2 for 3 in non-2025 1sts (so the 2024 1st at 19th and the 2026 picks) in terms of getting a backup 5 and a backup 1. Need to hit the right SG in the 2025 draft (which after Flagg is wildly stacked in terms of 2 guards in the lottery, like maybe 9 or 10 out of 14 picks that looks like their primary position) and turn RJ Barrett into a 3+D wing, or draft that 3+D wing and turn Barrett into a long-term solution at center from some team with 2 centers and a lack of wings (right now that's Cleveland, possibly Atlanta and Portland, might be someone else in a year or 2).

[TheAlchemist23]

Only thing holding back Scottie from being a franchise player is his demeanor

Agreed, he's incredibly passive and soft. At the end of the season presser, Darko even said Scottie was timid during training camp.

I rather a player try, try and try then fail rather than going out like a softie.

[Scase]

I still contend that he’s a future superstar and MVP scorer even though he’s not gonna average 25ppg. He impacts the game in every single way.

I see him as MVP "quality" with the way he impacts the game/his team, but I don't ever think he'll be a flat out scorer. I'm not sure what you mean by him being an MVP scorer, but not putting up 25ppg. I don't think those even exist now a days.

Top 5 in mvp voting this year were 26.4, 30, 34, 30.4, and 28.7. I don't see any way Scottie can be considered an MVP scorer, and manage below 25ppg. Unless I'm misunderstanding what you mean?

Yeah it was a typo haha I meant MVP candidate player.

Ok, then we are definitely on the same page haha. I can see him hitting 5th-ish in mvp voting but never being recognized enough to be higher. And man, I will be happy with that lol

[tsherkin]

Ok, then we are definitely on the same page haha. I can see him hitting 5th-ish in mvp voting but never being recognized enough to be higher. And man, I will be happy with that lol

A couple of finishes in the 5-10 range would be really nice.

[ThatClockWork]

I think he is more than a glue guy. Honest thoughts: If he turns out to be KAT like impact wise, we are doing fine. Will need to roll the dice for that no. 1 option. Takes time. He could still evolve into that no. 1 option that we need him to be. Not in a rush. Just as long as what we build is sustainable. No shortcuts please.

[ATLTimekeeper]

I hope Scottie reads this and it fuels him all summer.

[ForeverTFC]

I went back and listened to Simmons, Russillo and KOC's live draft reactions when we selected Barnes and what KOC and Russillo said is still extremely relevant today. A guy that is special defensively, has an understanding of the game beyond his age, and is a special passer; could have gone number 1 but he can't shoot and "there are people in the league who believe he will never be able to shoot."

Gordon is pretty much saying the same thing here and he's not wrong at this point in time. To be a star and someone you build your team around, you have to be able to score in this league. Stars break open defenses and score. Scottie needs to get his year 1 mid-range back. That's what stands between him and legit stardom.

[kingz3290]

Siakam leaving and Scottie's scoring even going down instead of up with so many more FGA's available is a bit surprising/disappointing if you're someone who thinks he can be a #1 option down the line. Even if his efficiency dropped which it did anyways, you would like to see him being aggressive and hunting down those shot attempts with the free reign he had out there.

Which is why I believe IQ and RJ were brought in at the wrong time (as if there was a right time), because all it did was create an environment where the is absolutely no urgency for Scottie to develop and display a polished offensive game. With the slow and high dribble of Scottie, he isn't blowing by anyone. He's a good playe for what he does, but let's not act as though you can count on him to be the focal point of your offense. You're just asking to lose. I don't see how people who get paid to make these evaluations in Toronto haven't realized this. I would've rather watched him struggle to find his game without other players like IQ and RJ racking up usage, so at least at the end of the day you can say Scottie was forced to become who he needs to be. Either he got it or he don;t. But now we're still hoping. If he doesn't have a freakishly better handle and footwork coming into training camp this year, then im sorry he is what he is as a prospect, but at his size I just know that's not realistic.

There is no iteration of a championship contending Raptors team with IQ and RJ jacking up shots while Scottie still does't have his own bag tricks. Treadmill.

[Spida888]

I went back and listened to Simmons, Russillo and KOC's live draft reactions when we selected Barnes and what KOC and Russillo said is still extremely relevant today. A guy that is special defensively, has an understanding of the game beyond his age, and is a special passer; could have gone number 1 but he can't shoot and "there are people in the league who believe he will never be able to shoot."

Gordon is pretty much saying the same thing here and he's not wrong at this point in time. To be a star and someone you build your team around, you have to be able to score in this league. Stars break open defenses and score. Scottie needs to get his year 1 mid-range back. That's what stands between him and legit stardom.

A mid range game would definitely help. The other thing is he needs to be aggressive and go into attack mode more often. When he's determined to go into the paint to score/draw fouls, he's hard to stop.

[mrdressup]

Siakam, FVV, OG and Barnes were just pieces lacking the real stardust to produce wins. Those are 4 pretty good pieces who couldn't crack the playoffs together. You need elite guys, probably two with of them including a top tier point guard, and a third piece like Scottie who can float for most of the game.

[Tustari]

I agree with Gordon 100%. A certain someone who likes to go by the name of a former Knick great got but-hurt for me basically saying the exact same thing a week prior to Gordon. Where you at boy? Why you gone all quiet? Stop trying to sneak into MSG during a playoff game without Dolan noticing.

[TheGeneral99]

Siakam, FVV, OG and Barnes were just pieces lacking the real stardust to produce wins. Those are 4 pretty good pieces who couldn't crack the playoffs together. You need elite guys, probably two with of them including a top tier point guard, and a third piece like Scottie who can float for most of the game.

That team won 48 games in 2022 with the worst bench in the league.

The team won 41 games in 2023 with the 2nd worst bench in the league and played well after getting Poeltl.

That team was likely capped as being as a 2nd round team but I don't think they were given the bench pieces to stay consistent the whole season.

[Nebuchadnezzar]

Siakam, FVV, OG and Barnes were just pieces lacking the real stardust to produce wins. Those are 4 pretty good pieces who couldn't crack the playoffs together. You need elite guys, probably two with of them including a top tier point guard, and a third piece like Scottie who can float for most of the game.

That team won 48 games in 2022 with the worst bench in the league.

The team won 41 games in 2023 with the 2nd worst bench in the league and played well after getting Poeltl.

That team was likely capped as being as a 2nd round team but I don't think they were given the bench pieces to stay consistent the whole season.

Great point. FVV completely turned around the Houston Rockets, the NYN had a crazy win percentage with OG on the floor, and the Pascal led the Pacers to the ECF. Is there more proof needed that this core wasn't given the pieces it needed to win? Scottie should have been taking a back seat for the first few years to give this core a chance, instead the team insisted on running him out there and giving him high usage come hell or high water.

[WaltFrazier]

Aaron Gordon gives Scottie a casual mention two weeks ago and this thread is still going at 11 pages. Classic Realgm Raptors

[Scase]

I went back and listened to Simmons, Russillo and KOC's live draft reactions when we selected Barnes and what KOC and Russillo said is still extremely relevant today. A guy that is special defensively, has an understanding of the game beyond his age, and is a special passer; could have gone number 1 but he can't shoot and "there are people in the league who believe he will never be able to shoot."

Gordon is pretty much saying the same thing here and he's not wrong at this point in time. To be a star and someone you build your team around, you have to be able to score in this league. Stars break open defenses and score. Scottie needs to get his year 1 mid-range back. That's what stands between him and legit stardom.

The promising sign is that he has shown that his shooting can improve, so while it's definitely not a foregone conclusion, I think there's at least a solid chance he can develop a dependable shot in the next couple years. You add that year 1 middy to his game last year, and that's all NBA level production.

I'm still not sold on the Scottie will be a superstar thought process, but I would be crazy if I didn't say it was a possibility. At worst I think he ends up being a guy making 2nd and 3rd teams 5+ times in his career, and if that's what we end up with, I can't complain.

[brownbobcat]

I went back and listened to Simmons, Russillo and KOC's live draft reactions when we selected Barnes and what KOC and Russillo said is still extremely relevant today. A guy that is special defensively, has an understanding of the game beyond his age, and is a special passer; could have gone number 1 but he can't shoot and "there are people in the league who believe he will never be able to shoot."

Gordon is pretty much saying the same thing here and he's not wrong at this point in time. To be a star and someone you build your team around, you have to be able to score in this league. Stars break open defenses and score. Scottie needs to get his year 1 mid-range back. That's what stands between him and legit stardom.

The promising sign is that he has shown that his shooting can improve, so while it's definitely not a foregone conclusion, I think there's at least a solid chance he can develop a dependable shot in the next couple years. You add that year 1 middy to his game last year, and that's all NBA level production.

I'm still not sold on the Scottie will be a superstar thought process, but I would be crazy if I didn't say it was a possibility. At worst I think he ends up being a guy making 2nd and 3rd teams 5+ times in his career, and if that's what we end up with, I can't complain.

Yeah, superstardom is a very hard tier to crack. Ignoring guys who will be retiring soon, it's basically Luka, Giannis, Jokic, SGA. Embiid/Tatum are borderline, Ant is on the cusp and Wemby could be there as early as next year.

Scottie definitely has the potential to be in that next tier, it's all about putting in the work. DeRozan only had a jumper and his athleticism as a rookie - no bag, no footwork, no post game.