Not sure what Pascal Siakam’s future will be in Toronto but Scottie Barnes will be ready to take over. It is no disrespect toward Pascal Siakam who has came a long way in his NBA career being arguably the second best player behind Kawhi Leonard on the 2019 Toronto Raptors team which won the title against the Golden State Warriors. Scottie Barnes doesn’t seem like someone who is looking to come into Toronto to be a role player he is coming with the intent of becoming the best player on the team eventually. He has the length,athleticism,ball handling ability,motor,and court-vision to be the best all around player in the NBA someday.
Most say he is a taller Draymmond Green with more length but I see more Giannis Antetokoumpo in him. Maybe he’ll never reach the level of Giannis but who’s to say he does not have the potential to? Only Scottie knows how great he wants to be, as of right now his offensive arsenal needs work as creating his own offense is not his strength nor does he look to score 20-30 points a night. Scottie looks to make an impact by setting the tone on defense for his team and remaining engaged on both ends while he is on the court. There is nothing lackadaisical about Scottie Barnes, he is constantly chasing after loose balls,hitting the glass for offensive rebounds, and switching relentlessly on the floor defensively.
Credit to Masai Ujiri for his management of the Toronto Raptors because they look bound for the playoffs once again this coming season. Defensively having two defenders like Barnes and Anunoby will be terrifying for opposing offenses as Barnes and Anunoby can both guard 2 through 4 witb ease and Fred,Siakam, and Trent Jr will provide enough scoring for the Raptors while Scottie takes his rookie season to round out his offensive game. There is too much talent around Scottie Barnes for the Toronto Raptors to not at least push for a playoff spot. The Raptors are not projected to make the playoffs this coming season but I would not be shocked if they did, in all likelihood they probably won’t make the playoffs but the 2022-2023 season they will be a lock.
Even if Kawhi Leonard won a championship 2019 he was practically the final piece to a championship. For years the Raptors were anchored by all-stars Kyle Lowry and Demar DeRozan and Kawhi Leonard practically just stepped in and did what Toronto fans expected of Demar DeRozan in the playoffs and it resulted in a championship. Chris Bosh lead the Toronto Raptors to the playoffs twice during his time but never won a playoff series and Vince Carter remains the best Raptor ever even if he never won a championship in his prime there. Most say winning a championship stamped Kyle Lowry as the best Raptor ever but he was never a big enough star in Toronto.
To conclude not only can Scottie Barnes bring the Toronto Raptors back to relevance but if he really takes his craft seriously and looks to become a knock down shooter off the dribble he could become a future hall-of-famer and the best Raptor to ever lace them up. Masai Ujiri dreamt of luring over Giannis Antetokoumpo to the Toronto Raptors and failed but drafting Scottie Barnes will give fans Toronto shades of LeBron James and Giannis Antetokoumpo. Will he ever reach that level? Probably not but he will be a top 15 player in the NBA 2-3 years from now and bring the Larry O’Brien trophy back Toronto some day, till next time.
D-NBA 