The Toronto Raptors are set to have quite the exhilarating season in 2026-27, especially now that the path has been cleared for the Kawhi Leonard trade to be finalized. After falling to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of last season’s playoffs, it was evident that Toronto was missing a bona fide scorer to count on in the clutch. Trading away two-time All-Star Brandon Ingram just a year and a half after acquiring him surely was not an easy choice, but when getting back a two-time Finals MVP in return, it was a move that had to be done. 

Now that he has a seven-time All-Star as a teammate, all signs point toward franchise cornerstone Scottie Barnes becoming one of the best players in basketball next season. He is coming off a year in which he finished fifth in the Defensive Player of the Year voting, while averaging 18.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game; he became the first player to record 100 steals and 100 blocks in one season since Andre Drummond in 2019 (via StatMuse). Still, he was snubbed from the All-Defensive First Team and all three All-NBA teams, adding fuel to the fire for next season.

Postseason awards and teams became positionless in 2024, allowing for the 15 best players to earn the honor. Had this not been implemented, the former No. 4 pick in the 2021 NBA draft would have had to convince voters that he is a top-six forward in the league, which could have been very difficult given the immense talent in the position group. However, just because it’s the top-15 players doesn’t necessarily make it easier for Barnes to earn his first All-NBA selection either. 

Trying to dissect every player with the potential to make an All-NBA team next season would be far too complex, but assessing all the players in Barnes’ position group is a much more reasonable task. All of the top 12 power forwards can be ranked into three categories for next season based on potential without accounting for injuries.

Pascal Siakam, Zion Williamson, OG Anunoby

In most scenarios, these guys aren’t going to be a No. 1 option on a championship team. Through six seasons, it would be an understatement to say Williamson’s career has been a letdown, but that doesn’t mean he can’t still be an All-NBA-level player when healthy. Siakam has proven to be an elite second star to Tyrese Haliburton in the Indiana Pacers’ path to the NBA Finals in 2025. Anunoby showed his elite two-way play was essential for the New York Knicks’ improbable dominance en route to a championship last season.

Evan Mobley, Chet Holmgren

There is a level of fluctuation with these two that may be higher than others. Depending on the month, they could look like top-10 players in the league, but in others, they could look like a concern to even be named an All-Star. Holmgren looked completely defeated in his attempt to deter Victor Wembanyama from greatness, and many thought he was the only one who’d be able to do so. He saw a dip in points, rebounds, assists, and blocks per game in the postseason compared to the regular season. 

Mobley was more or less the same player statistically in the playoffs as he was in the regular season, but it was clear he didn’t have the same impact. Mainly defended against Barnes in the first round, he wasn’t nearly as capable of finding his own shots as he was used to, and that pressure showed in James Harden’s significant drop-off. It didn’t help that he was tasked with going against another top defense that Detroit had, and then the eventual champions in the Eastern Conference Finals. As a former DPOY, he was able to make up for his lack of pop offensively on the other end, but he should be expected to take another jump going into his sixth season at just 25 years old. 

Paolo Banchero, Jalen Johnson, LeBron James

They may be in the same category, but all three of these players have very different roles on their team. At the end of the day, they are still expected to be the best player on any given night, and when they don’t deliver, their teams struggle. Banchero looked like he was having a down year on a very underwhelming Orlando Magic team, until he turned into a superhero in the playoffs. Critics consistently harped on his lack of aggression in the paint and settling for jump shots too often in the regular season. As a result, he made his mark immediately in the seven-game series against the Detroit Pistons, improving in all five major statistical categories. 

Johnson was possibly the most satisfying player to watch in the NBA last season. Having played only 13 games in college at Duke, he had a slow start to his career in the pros. His third season saw his minutes increase by almost 19 per game, resulting in almost a tripling of his points per game. 2025 looked like his breakout season as a true All-Star before he suffered a season-ending injury early on. Last season was the first of his career where the keys were handed to him, and he delivered without batting an eye. With averages of 22.5 points, 10.3 rebounds, 7.9 assists, and 1.2 steals per game, he rightfully was selected to the All-NBA Third Team as he led his Atlanta Hawks to a competitive first-round series with the champion New York Knicks. 

Adding the NBA’s all-time leading scorer to this category was a tough pill to swallow. Seeing James dominate against the Houston Rockets in the first round without Luka Doncic or Austin Reaves was undeniably spectacular, but at 41 years old, his time as the best player on the planet has passed him. The 22-time All-Star proved to many people that he is still very much a top-10 player in the league, and one of the last guys who a team would want to match up with in the playoffs. Now heading to Philadelphia, he very well could be the fourth option behind Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown, and Joel Embiid, but his ability to help them win a championship should still be regarded as extremely high.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, Anthony Davis

It would be ignorant to believe this category isn’t controversial compared to the previously named players. Unfortunately, injuries have plagued all three of these superstars in the last year, but they all should be serious threats to be one of the best players in basketball next season if they are healthy. The most understandable has to be Antetokounmpo; his accolades include being a two-time MVP, DPOY, Finals MVP, and member of the 75th Anniversary Team, just to name a few. He and James are the only players on this entire list who can say they were, at one point, the best player in the world, and now joining the Miami Heat, he’s ready to regain that title. 

Tatum has somehow become one of the most polarizing players in the NBA. A large part of that is because of two things he could not control: his lack of playing time in the Olympics and the surprising dominance of Brown and the Boston Celtics in his absence. Before tearing his Achilles, there was never a doubt that he would be a First-Team All-NBA selection year in and year out, and now he will come into this season with an extra chip on his shoulder. His team will need him to, after trading away his superstar teammate and getting an older Paul George in return. 

Finally, the list will end with quite possibly the most underappreciated player not just in the league today, but maybe of all time. Davis looked like the second-best player in the world behind his teammate, James, in the Bubble in 2020. The 10-time All-Star has been an easy target for typical haters because of his extensive injury history, but that shouldn’t take away from the fact that he and Antetokounmpo make up the best two-way players in basketball when healthy. Before being traded to the Dallas Mavericks in the blockbuster deal that included Doncic, he and the Lakers looked as dominant as ever, and that continued in his first game with his third franchise before he got injured again. Now in a brand-new situation with Trae Young, AJ Dybantsa, and the Washington Wizards, expect him to be in both the All-NBA and All-Defense conversations all year long. 

Where exactly Barnes fits into this conversation is subjective. If he’s able to see a significant increase in his outside shooting and overall scoring, he could enter the top category with the best in the game. His relentless defense, being paired with All-Star-level dominance in every aspect of the game, makes him a nightmare to match up with. There’s very little he can do to improve defensively, and now having the opportunity to learn from Leonard, who’s fresh off a season scoring a career-high 27.9 points per game, the ball is in Barnes’ court to show his ability to become one of the best players in the world.