Barnes has earned two All-Star selections by doing a little bit of everything, and the front office is about to reward that versatility by asking him to change.
Forward Scottie Barnes earned his second career All-Star selection last season by being the player the Toronto Raptors asked to do everything, and the front office is now preparing to reward that versatility with a request that might feel counterintuitive.
With forward Kawhi Leonard's trade from the Los Angeles Clippers now finalized, Barnes is heading into a season where his role could look completely different than anything he has done in his first five NBA years.
The Numbers
Barnes averaged 18.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game last season while shooting 50.7 percent from the field, and he added an All-Defensive Team selection to a resume that already included two All-Star appearances by age 25.
That is a player who can score from anywhere on the floor, create for teammates and guard the opposing team's best perimeter player on the other end.
That combination is rare enough that Barnes has entered the conversation as one of the five or six best power forwards in the league.
The challenge is that most of those numbers came with Barnes functioning as the primary ball handler and lead scorer for long stretches of last season, and that role changes if Leonard is healthy and in the lineup.
Leonard is still one of the best isolation scorers in basketball when he is on the floor, and the Raptors did not acquire him to be a secondary option.
Barnes would need to shift from the player who initiates the offense to the player who makes the right decision once the ball swings to him, which requires a different mindset even if the physical tools stay the same.
What a Changed Role Could Unlock
The shift could actually elevate Barnes rather than diminish him.
"We know what Kawhi can do out there," Barnes said of the potential pairing at Summer League. "Be able to score the ball, guard the ball, steals, active. It's going to fit right in."
Playing alongside a player like Leonard means more open looks, fewer double teams and less wear on his body across an 82-game season, and Barnes' passing ability and defensive range would make him the ideal second star in a two-man system.
His willingness to do the unglamorous things that keep possessions alive matters just as much whether he takes 18 shots or 12.
Guard Ja'Kobe Walter and forward Murray-Boyles would also see their roles evolve in a lineup built around two stars, and the depth behind them has been assembled with enough shooting and defense to keep the Raptors competitive in a loaded Eastern Conference.
The pieces fit together on paper, and the front office spent the offseason making sure the roster has enough flexibility to adjust once the trade took longer to finalize than expected.
Barnes has never been a player who measures his impact by scoring averages alone, and that mentality is exactly why the Raptors believe he can handle the transition.
This team is better when Barnes does not need to be the best scorer on the floor every night, and the 25-year-old seems to understand that a step back in usage could be a step forward for the franchise.
