Official Scottie All Star Barnes Thread 9

[Reeko]

he needs better stamina to be a top 5 player, esp come playoff time

For sure. Where would you rank him currently?

Impossible to say without seeing how he does with playoff basketball. Some players elevate their game in the playoffs, some gets game-planned againstand falls off a cliff. he's TBD for me right now.

He's going to elevate in the playoffs. When the lights are brightest he gets even more aggressive and focused, we've seen it countless times over his career. He isn't someone who shrinks in meaningful games.

[Godaddycurse]

For sure. Where would you rank him currently?

Impossible to say without seeing how he does with playoff basketball. Some players elevate their game in the playoffs, some gets game-planned againstand falls off a cliff. he's TBD for me right now.

He's going to elevate in the playoffs. When the lights are brightest he gets even more aggressive and focused, we've seen it countless times over his career. He isn't someone who shrinks in meaningful games.

I just question if his stamina can hold up in playoff intensity

[HiJiNX]

Just rewatched the Portland game and man I’m glad the team let Barnes experiment last year. All those reps that looked ugly because the finish wasn’t there? They’re starting to pay off. We’ve always know he sees the floor well as a passer and defender, but now the game is slowing down for him as a scorer. He did nothing rushed against Portland. He was in rhythm. He decisively attacked space. He waited for space to appear. He saw the help and countered it rather than running into it. I believe him when he says he’s been watching a lot of film. You can definitely see it in his process.

You’re also starting to see the ability to get by his man with better footwork and angles (something I alluded to as an improvable skill the other day). The growth is coming rapidly. The fourth year leap that happens for most all-star players is happening in his fifth (well I’d argue it started last year before the injuries).

Also worth noting is that against Portland our clutch possessions yielded much better shots when Barnes touched the ball as opposed to when we tried to force an Ingram iso. He got Yak a couple layups and had a hockey assist to Shead which became the Shead assist to Ingram. He did miss a wide open midrange he created for himself after an aggressive dribble into space off the catch. Loved the move. He’s going to start cashing those next season (or maybe later in this one).

My original prediction for Barnes when he was a rookie is he would be a superstar and be an MVP candidate in his prime. If he continues on this growth trajectory I think that prediction becomes a reality. The process this year has been amazing and you can see him starting to believe.

[Tripod]

Must say,sort of funny to see his results this year and all the positive comments when comparing them to pre-season comments and how his trainers were garbage, he never improved, he "is what he is...it's year 5".

And to see in RJ's absence he has stepped up offensively all while maintaining effeciency AND getting DPOM award. Quite the step up.

[Raps in 4]

For sure. Where would you rank him currently?

Impossible to say without seeing how he does with playoff basketball. Some players elevate their game in the playoffs, some gets game-planned againstand falls off a cliff. he's TBD for me right now.

He's going to elevate in the playoffs. When the lights are brightest he gets even more aggressive and focused, we've seen it countless times over his career. He isn't someone who shrinks in meaningful games.

Scottie "Vladimir Guerrero Jr." Barnes

[720]

Must say,sort of funny to see his results this year and all the positive comments when comparing them to pre-season comments and how his trainers were garbage, he never improved, he "is what he is...it's year 5".

And to see in RJ's absence he has stepped up offensively all while maintaining effeciency AND getting DPOM award. Quite the step up.

The Official Scottie Barnes Allstar thread used to be where all his haters would congregate to bash him and make bold proclamations about his future as an NBA player.

[raincityraptors]

I am so glad we got BI and CMB. I wrote in a post after we drafted CMB that I hoped his presence would get Scottie going and it has. He's showing the rook that he can do everything CMB can but better. He's playing more like a bully and less like a PG. You can also see him want to be the man at the end of games like BI. He's taken that motivation sparked by internal competition and thrived with it. He's special.

[OhCanada]

Scotties still only 24 and I don't think he's quite in his prime yet. I think he needs a couple more playoff runs before he reaches his peak. But at 24 he is currently the frontrunner for Defensive Player of the Year and in my opinion the best defender in the league not named Victor Wembenyama. He's also quietly putting together a 50/40/90 season (51/41/85).

[PushDaRock]

Just rewatched the Portland game and man I’m glad the team let Barnes experiment last year. All those reps that looked ugly because the finish wasn’t there? They’re starting to pay off. We’ve always know he sees the floor well as a passer and defender, but now the game is slowing down for him as a scorer. He did nothing rushed against Portland. He was in rhythm. He decisively attacked space. He waited for space to appear. He saw the help and countered it rather than running into it. I believe him when he says he’s been watching a lot of film. You can definitely see it in his process.

You’re also starting to see the ability to get by his man with better footwork and angles (something I alluded to as an improvable skill the other day). The growth is coming rapidly. The fourth year leap that happens for most all-star players is happening in his fifth (well I’d argue it started last year before the injuries).

Also worth noting is that against Portland our clutch possessions yielded much better shots when Barnes touched the ball as opposed to when we tried to force an Ingram iso. He got Yak a couple layups and had a hockey assist to Shead which became the Shead assist to Ingram. He did miss a wide open midrange he created for himself after an aggressive dribble into space off the catch. Loved the move. He’s going to start cashing those next season (or maybe later in this one).

My original prediction for Barnes when he was a rookie is he would be a superstar and be an MVP candidate in his prime. If he continues on this growth trajectory I think that prediction becomes a reality. The process this year has been amazing and you can see him starting to believe.

I had no idea how this year would look for him and had low expectations but it made zero sense why anyone would want to limit his game last season and stop having him work on stuff when we weren't even trying to win games.

[Tripod]

Must say,sort of funny to see his results this year and all the positive comments when comparing them to pre-season comments and how his trainers were garbage, he never improved, he "is what he is...it's year 5".

And to see in RJ's absence he has stepped up offensively all while maintaining effeciency AND getting DPOM award. Quite the step up.

The Official Scottie Barnes Allstar thread used to be where all his haters would congregate to bash him and make bold proclamations about his future as an NBA player.

Not only haters.

There are lots of good posters too who wanted things like his FGA's to go down to 10 a game, or stop taking 3's, etc...

Some felt he couldn't get better, others did. And lots of this thread was that back and forth. But WE ALL should be happy with how he has played this year and steps forward he has taken. He deserves credit for the work he has put in.

[sidsid]

Just rewatched the Portland game and man I’m glad the team let Barnes experiment last year. All those reps that looked ugly because the finish wasn’t there? They’re starting to pay off. We’ve always know he sees the floor well as a passer and defender, but now the game is slowing down for him as a scorer. He did nothing rushed against Portland. He was in rhythm. He decisively attacked space. He waited for space to appear. He saw the help and countered it rather than running into it. I believe him when he says he’s been watching a lot of film. You can definitely see it in his process.

You’re also starting to see the ability to get by his man with better footwork and angles (something I alluded to as an improvable skill the other day). The growth is coming rapidly. The fourth year leap that happens for most all-star players is happening in his fifth (well I’d argue it started last year before the injuries).

Also worth noting is that against Portland our clutch possessions yielded much better shots when Barnes touched the ball as opposed to when we tried to force an Ingram iso. He got Yak a couple layups and had a hockey assist to Shead which became the Shead assist to Ingram. He did miss a wide open midrange he created for himself after an aggressive dribble into space off the catch. Loved the move. He’s going to start cashing those next season (or maybe later in this one).

My original prediction for Barnes when he was a rookie is he would be a superstar and be an MVP candidate in his prime. If he continues on this growth trajectory I think that prediction becomes a reality. The process this year has been amazing and you can see him starting to believe.

He did a rip-through on one of his driving layups and good on him for foul-baiting instead of those outstretched flip attempts.

That mid-range hard stop elbow shot is exactly what I'd like to see more of on those long drives. More balanced shots, step backs or whatever, replacing a few of those leaning 6-10 foot paint traffic shots. At least until he gets better touch in that range.

Some changes I'd like to see when he's off-ball up top ATB. This is a function of both energy and the personnel limitations, but when Barnes is the designated reset guy he's standing on the logo to let whoever do their work on the wings. In the 4th Q, BI, and especially IQ, are not probers that generate a lot of dynamism on their own. Barnes needs to be a closer outlet where IQ can either call for the pick, or pass to him and invert the pnr.