After making the case for Barnes to be the Defensive Player of the Year, he followed up with some bold comments about his superstar.
Scottie Barnes and the Toronto Raptors achieved a 122-104 victory Sunday night over the Indiana Pacers at home in Scotiabank Arena. After being named a participant in both the All-Star Game and the Shooting Stars Challenge, the former No. 4 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft was far and above the best player on the court for either team.
All five of the major statistical categories were led by Barnes in the Raptors’ third win in the last four games. The former Florida State Seminole contributed 25 points, 14 rebounds, six assists, four blocks, and two steals on 60% shooting.
Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (4) | © Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images
While his averages are eerily similar to his previous two years, Barnes is solidifying himself as one of the best all-around players in the league. His impressive defensive impact and versatility may be second to none, and his ability to play any part in the offensive scheme has complemented the team well.
This shows in the standings, as Toronto currently sits just 2.5 games out of the second seed in the Eastern Conference through 54 games, all while being without its starting center, Jakob Poeltl, for the last 24 straight games.
Postgame, head coach Darko Rajakovic, who has been extremely vocal in his support for his players, made a bold claim about his superstar.
“Scottie is [the] Defensive Player of the Year,” said Rajakovic. “He’s an All-Star. He’s gonna be a Finals MVP. He’s going to be an MVP one day. Write down the date I said that.”
It wouldn’t be outlandish for him to win the DPOY award this season. Although he may be overlooked by players like Victor Wembanyama or Chet Holmgren, Barnes has a case to be a potential lock for All-Defensive First-Team. He currently holds the sixth-best individual defensive rating in the NBA this season with 110.1 (via StatMuse) and leads the league in stocks with 150.
Taking it a step further, the 6-foot-8, 237-pound forward would need to dramatically improve his statistics to be in conversations for a Most Valuable Player award. Barnes has yet to surpass 20 points per game in a season in his five-year career, and the only MVP to have under 20 ppg since the NBA merger was Steve Nash, who did it twice.
Former Phoenix Suns guard Steve Nash (13) | © Jennifer Stewart-Imagn Images
In order for Barnes to have a shot at winning an MVP or Finals MVP, his team needs to be among the absolute best in the league. While the Raptors are on the right trajectory as it stands, they have much work to do to be considered the best of the best. But if they can manage to get to that tier, the awards and accolades will come for the stars.