| The opening picks of the 2021 NBA Draft were locks, supposedly. Cade Cunningham went first to Detroit, Jalen Green second to Houston, then Evan Mobley to Cleveland and then, of course … “With the fourth pick in the 2021 NBA Draft,” commissioner Adam Silver said, “The Toronto Raptors select … Scottie Barnes.” Cue a delighted reaction from Barnes – the 6-foot-7 small forward out of Florida State, who leapt to his feet and clapped his hands in delight. It followed by an emphatically stunned response from the broadcast team, who could issue nothing more than a collective “woooowww.” And finally, a slew of gasps from those in attendance and a slow dawn for Raptors supporters querying what the heck was going on. It didn’t seem to make a whole lot of sense. With Kyle Lowry headed out of town, Gonzaga standout Jalen Suggs was the nominal heir, while Barnes came with a solid rep as a great team guy and elite defender but was thought to hold substantial scoring limitations. It makes a whole lot more sense now. Nearly a month into the current campaign, Barnes has leapfrogged all the bigger names to take a clear early lead in the running for the Rookie of the Year award, while tearing up the pre-draft report cards on his style of play. Because no one, especially opposing NBA teams, has been able to figure out quite what that style is. He is a masterpiece in versatility, sometimes backing down his defender and heading for the rim, sometimes backing off and floating in neat jumpers and cute hook shots. The defense has generally been on point, as advertised, but the scoring – at 16.3 points per game and 51.2 field goal percentage – has been a welcome boost for the Raptors, who finished 12th in the Eastern Conference last season at 27-45. Now 7-8, the Raptors have been lifted by Barnes, with Charles Barkley saying it’s “guaranteed” he will be voted as the top rookie. Others around the league are well-aware of Barnes’ ability. “You got a lot of guys who love to compete and love to win, but what’s more rare about Scottie Barnes is his IQ for the game, his enthusiasm for the game,” Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant told reporters recently. “All that stuff shines bright when you watch him play. “He makes winning basketball plays. A lot of young guys in the league have that fire but he has something a little extra in terms of seeing the game a little slower. That’s rare for a guy, how old is he 19, 20? He knows how to play the game the right way and he’s only going to get better.” Barnes has meshed well with Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby, while producing four games of 20-plus points, six outings with at least nine rebounds, and a healthy tally of assists. Toronto didn’t really know what it was getting. This is going better than they could have hoped for. “He’s a heck of a rookie,” Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said. “He causes a problem on both ends of the floor. He’s going to be a star in this league, if he’s not already. Watching him on tape you would think he’s been in the league three or four years.” It has been a rollercoaster couple of years for Toronto. Kawhi Leonard led the team to its first title in 2019 and they then tried to rebuild – without undertaking a full overhaul. Having shipped off DeMar DeRozan to get Leonard, only for Leonard to depart for the L.A. Clippers following the title, Toronto needs a star. Barnes’ emergence could not have come at a better time. “People have fallen in love with his personality, he is such a likable character,” William Lou, who covers the Raptors as writer and radio host for Sportsnet, told me via telephone. “But there is more to it than that. “On the surface he is really positive and bubbly and having fun out there. He is playing a game and having a great time and seems human but the other side is that in these bigger games this little mean streak comes out and he has really reveled in some of the tougher matchups.” One of Lou’s favorite memories of the season was when, against the Nets, Barnes stripped Durant then glanced back three times at his esteemed foe on his way to a reverse dunk. “He’s just not afraid of anyone he comes up against,” Lou added. “We haven’t really had someone like that since Kawhi.” That one worked out pretty well, as Leonard carried Toronto to the promised land. Barnes’ career is still very much in its infancy, but even in these initial days, he’s got the Raptors daring to dream of a bright future. |
