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One of the hardest things to do at the NBA level is to set a course for your own growth. While it may seem prudent to watch players play and point out what they lack, the reality of improving skills at the NBA level is met with incredible defenses that will try to stop you from doing so. anything. So, what does it look like to be a player? something?
Who knows what position he will play? He is one of those who play basketball. He is one of the future players.
– Masai Ujiri
Hoping to glean some insight into Scotty’s development from a former scout, I asked Masain the question that prompted that answer. He threw his hands in the air like the rest of us. If you want a micro, what will happen to the Raptors’ young phenomenon is not something anyone can answer. The only thing you can expect as a player progresses through the development of many skills is range of results. The Raptors, and most people who follow Barnes’ game, consider most of the results in the. Star Level.
Half the fun of fandom is the wishful thinking that comes with stardom. For many people, expectations for DeMar DeRozan and Terrence Ross were overturned. However, we can at least lean on what we know about Barnes’ game after his rookie season (and college) to predict what’s to come. So, what are Barnes’ season cliff notes? Let me try and make a paragraph on it.
By the end of the season, Barnes was a dominant transition force capable of taking up plays or passing teammates into easy opportunities. In the half court, he was a rock ’em sock ’em robot with the smalls, carelessly abandoning the rim and short midrange and attacking with exceptional touch. He was essentially unmatched in size and position as an offensive rebounder. And on top of all that, he was a good defender by the end of the season, largely due to his improvement off the ball. It’s hard to make a positive impact for starters, and Barnes did it in the regular season and postseason.
The accomplishments lend credence to Ujiri’s comment that “he’s one of those basketball players,” because Barnes’ biggest success comes from his size, motor and understanding of how to deploy those things. The competition. Nothing Barnes has done on Loud is unusual. Best Star Items, Outside of independent buckets. And even those isolation buckets, for the most part, Barnes is beating people to the bucket and hitting push shots, hooks, flips, floaters and all sorts of incredible things in between. It’s not just about brutal dominance, it’s incredibly talented, fueling many of the best iso players.
That is why the growth is so amazing.
We usually consider good things Measurable. Small things mean that you can act like a star. A killer pull-up 3-point shooter with a good roll man means you chase the top, get a tag on a roller or get a 2-on-1, and the point is you’re getting the advantage. or force driving. However, the Raptors have built a team that likes to abuse switches, finish in transition and crash the offensive glass with no regard for human life. This means Barnes has the opportunity to rely more on some of his skills that most people don’t think you can control – and that’s without improvement.
I hear he’s a point guard.
Nick Nurse on Scottie Barnes
And it gets better! The Raptors like to run with their shooters with ghost screen actions, we saw Siakam and Barnes dominating the ball there – more! The Raptors listed him as a guard, Barnes said he went to FSU because they said he could be a point guard, and Nick Nurse accepted that moniker with gusto for the young star — starting possessions and no doubt. Hell, the main attraction of Barnes’ offense out of college was his play. While we didn’t see him consistently in the half court, he was fantastic in transition and on break plays. Once he starts regularly breaking down defenses, that’s when he starts to pick them apart. Maybe that’s putting the cart before the horse, but I think he’ll get to that point in his career.
What makes Barnes special is that he came into the league at a young age and was a bully. All the stars we hear about seem to be this uber-talented, uber-athletic player who has to adapt to the physicality of his game. Barnes subverts this principle by asking everyone who defends him to deny it, and many do not. His first basket of the game was a putback of Tyrese Maxey from the 3-point line and a dunk with Joel Embiid. Go to skills when necessary. Of course, it sometimes hits step-back in a pinch from the midrange.and the month where he shot 41 percent per game was an oddity from deep..
The game floor is length, strength and thinking. Each added skill makes it more dangerous, because you know it will be used. This bench combo guard with a nice jumper, a tight handle and a strong contact aversion isn’t a limited end – Barnes uses everything he can. If the Raptors are to be believed, are big, active wings (and 5 at once) the future of basketball? Then, as Barnes Masai said, he is the player of the future.
And even if none of it is true? Barnes will still be a star somehow. It is another result in his range of results.
Have a blessed day.
For more on Scotty, check out these:
A so true Deep dive on Scottie.
Cracking the ISO game:
In partnership with Pascal regular seasonAnd Game games.
Why he won Rookie of the Year:
And a chat with scout Ben Pfeiffer about his progress:
