All eyes will be on Scottie Barnes as he enters his third NBA season.
Many believe that Barnes will take a leap this season and solidify himself as one of the best young players in the league.
Barnes showcased his potential in the preseason. He averaged 17.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists on 59 percent shooting from the field and 50 percent shooting from deep in 21 minutes per game.
What doesn’t get talked about enough when it comes to Barnes’ game is his defense. He showed us just how good he can be on that end in the preseason game against the Chicago Bulls. Barnes showed his ability to guard everyone on the court from point guard to center. He also finished the game with 4 blocks and 2 steals.
Barnes has a high ceiling on defense and his new head coach Darko Rajakovic recognizes this.
Rajakovic believes that one day Barnes can become the Defensive Player of the Year:
Darko Rajakovic on Scottie Barnes: “I think one day he’s going to be Defensive Player of the Year. That’s something he wants to be, that he wants to develop into, and I’m going to do everything in my power to help him on that path.”
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) October 24, 2023
Rajakovic saying that’s what Barnes wants to be suggests that Barnes is locked into the defensive part of his game. Barnes can not only become an impactful offensive player and playermaker in the league, but he can also become one of the best defensive players as well.
Barnes averaged 15.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.8 blocks per game in 77 contests in the 2022-23 season. He should see those numbers go up this season.
We’ll get our first look at Barnes this season when the Raptors host the Minnesota Timberwolves in their season home opener on Wednesday night.
Raptors host Halloween party
The good vibes for the Raptors seem to be back. The team appears to be bonding on and off the court.
The Raptors hosted a Halloween party before the start of the season and some of the costumes were very creative.
Pascal Siakam was Nino Brown from the 1991 film ‘New Jack City’ and Rajakovic was Captain Jack Sparrow from the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean.’
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