When the Toronto Raptors selected Scottie Barnes with the fourth overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, they felt they had landed their next franchise superstar. Barnes then went on to win the Rookie of the Year award in 2022, appearing in 74 games and averaging 15.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists. This reinforced Toronto’s belief that it had landed a franchise player.
Fast-forward to 2024, and Barnes made his first All-Star appearance, averaging 19.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 6.1 assists — all career highs. That is about where his production has stayed the last two seasons, but it has been the defense that has really separated him from others in that 2021 draft class.
Finishing fifth in Defensive Player of the Year award voting this past season, Barnes made another All-Star appearance and had his most efficient year offensively despite the scoring taking a slight dip down to 18.1 points.
Having a really strong series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Barnes averaged 24.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 8.6 assists while converting on 50.9% of his shots from the field and 38.1% of his three-point attempts. Unfortunately, this was not enough for Toronto to advance, as the Raptors were without Brandon Ingram for two of those seven games and starting point guard Immanuel Quickley for all seven.
In his exit interview, Barnes spoke on this series, this season, and the Raptors’ future.
"I wouldn’t say it was fully successful because we felt like we could’ve gone further, but we stayed true to our identity," he said of Toronto's season. "We played hard, aggressive, and had a defensive mindset all year. We wanted to create havoc on defense, and I think we did a great job with that."
Barnes added, "We learned more about ourselves after each game, and we worked really hard. It felt like we didn’t leave anything on the table, so I’d say it was a solid season."
As for Toronto's future, Barnes believes it is bright.
"I feel very confident in the group we have," he said. "We’ve got dogs — guys who play hard, physical, and are confident on both ends. We felt like we could’ve gone much further. If things had gone differently, the conversation would be different. But we’re going to be back, we’ll be better. We’re heading in the right direction."
On his own growth, Barnes added, "I don’t know exactly, but Darko is really high on me and sees a lot. I don’t think I’ve tapped into what I can be yet. I still have a long way to go and can keep growing on both ends. There’s a lot more to my game I can unlock."