Barnes may be overshadowed by the bigs, but he is more than capable of guarding the best player every single night, and he showed that against the Blazers.
Scottie Barnes and the Toronto Raptors won their third-straight road game in a 110-98 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers, ending their four-game winning-streak. While Barnes didn’t have his best night on the offensive end, he continued to show his all-around capabilities by contributing 15 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and six blocks.
His six blocks against Portland added to his total of 66 on the season. The former No. 4 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft also has 61 steals through 46 games, making him the first player to record 60 or more blocks and steals each in the NBA this season (via Sportsnet).
Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (4) | © Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
With back-to-back blocks on the final play of the game, Barnes has shown his tenacity on the defensive end, both in the paint and on the perimeter. His ability to guard positions 1-5 and take the assignment of the opposing team’s best scorer every night has truly introduced the former Florida State Seminole as one of the best defenders in the NBA this season.
On the floor, Raptors forward Sandro Mamukelashvili was interviewed by The Shift Sports’ Kayla Grey, and he discussed Barnes’ incredible defensive efforts.
“Scottie [Barnes] is huge defensively,” said Mamukelashvili. “He is definitely, for me, the Defensive Player of the Year right now. He did amazing, and he always has our back.”
This kind of support from his teammate after a win sparked the question: Does Barnes deserve to be recognized as one of the favorites to win the prestigious award? While he may be overshadowed by the star big men like Victor Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren, and Rudy Gobert, his versatility on the defensive end sets him apart from the rest of these candidates. Barnes has proven that there really may not be a better player in the NBA when it comes to defending anybody on the court, no matter the position, on a night-to-night basis.
When it comes to defensive rating leaders in the NBA this season, the top four candidates are all members of the Thunder, led by Holmgren with 103.8 (via StatMuse). Their numbers aren’t quite as remarkable as they seem, simply due to the Thunder having the greatest overall team defense the NBA has seen in quite some time. In fact, their 105.5 defensive rating is the best in the NBA since the Bubble in 2020.
Outside of the Thunder, Barnes holds the second-best individual defensive rating in the NBA with 110.2. In terms of basic stats, he ranks just 31st in steals, but is 11th in blocks and 19th in defensive rebounds per game. While he doesn’t thrive in one specific stat, his overall impact is shown by his impressive defensive rating, which is why Barnes surely will be in the conversation to win the award by the end of the year.