In Toronto, NBA Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes is finally starting to play better after an ugly shooting slump.
But if you look at this season overall for Barnes and the Raptors, who are 10th in the East through 32 games, it has been a pretty disappointing stretch. For Barnes, in particular, fans are surprised at his lack of development this season and how much it has impacted the growth of the team.
In a recent article, Raptors insider Doug Smith was the latest to call out Scottie in a brutal piece on the ‘Toronto Star.’
It takes hard work to become an NBA player. It takes work of an order of magnitude much greater than “hard” to become a truly elite star in the league. There is every chance that Scottie Barnes will come to that realization either on his own or by it being hammered home by his bosses and teammates beginning next summer.
But he has not quite gotten it yet and that’s been an issue the Raptors have dealt with since before the season even began.
Having watched almost every game last season and about every game so far this season, it’s hard to see any one area of the game that Barnes is better at in his second year than he was in his first.
The numbers are down, his impact on games is down, his enthusiasm seems down and 30 or so games of stagnation has been a significant factor in the tough start to the Raptors season.
“Scottie Barnes needs to work much harder over the summer to be an NBA elite star…It’s hard to see any one area of the game that Barnes is better at in his second year than he was in his first.”
– Toronto Raptors’ insider @SmithRaps pic.twitter.com/maFDPY1Pet
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) December 22, 2022
Barnes has all the talent and tools he needs to be a star in this league, and the Raptors have enough firepower on paper to compete with any team in the league. But if Barnes continues to fail to be the guy the Raptors need him to be, it could have some big implications for his future with the franchise.
Scottie Barnes Was Mentioned In Kevin Durant Trade Talks
What makes this worse for the Raptors is that Brooklyn may have had an interest in acquiring him back when Kevin Durant may have been available. The Raptors seemingly said no to trading Barnes (who was untouchable at the time), and the rest is history.
Looking back, that’s a deal they might be questioning now.
This season, all they can do is keep riding the wave and hope their guys can figure it out. If not, don’t be surprised to see the traditional risky Toronto Raptors make some big moves ahead of the trade deadline.
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