Scottie Barnes continues to be a standout performer for the Toronto Raptors.
He has taken a third year leap and through 20 games he has consistently put up solid numbers.
Barnes for the season is averaging 19.6 points, 9.1 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.3 blocks. He’s doing this on a 46.6 percent from the field and a career-high 38.2 percent from three.
Barnes is currently leading the Raptors in most categories:
Scottie “MVP” Barnes stat leaderboards for the Toronto Raptors this season through 20 games:
2nd in Points (392)
1st in Rebounds: (181)
2nd in Assists: (109)
1st in Blocks: (26)
1st in Steals: (36)
2nd in 3PMs: (39)
2nd in 2PMs: (107)
1st in minutes: (696)
1st in VORP: (1.4)
1st… pic.twitter.com/cFQL9d5dG9— عمر عثمان 🇦🇫 Mike Tyson’s Translator (@OmerOsman200) December 2, 2023
The most remarkable part about Barnes’ game is that he’s doing it on both ends. He’s becoming the next great two-way player.
Barnes is coming off a performance against the New York Knicks where he had 5 steals. He also had a 5-block performance in the season-opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Barnes’ ability to be a versatile defender and guard all five positions is something that is truly valuable.
Bball Index recently ranked Barnes No.1 in their defensive positional versatility model:
The top 5 in Defensive Positional Versatility
1. Scottie Barnes
2. Robert Covington
3. Haywood Highsmith
4. Jrue Holiday
5. Kelly Oubre JrDefensive Positional Versatility explainer⬇️ pic.twitter.com/PGvE0hthFL
— BBall Index (@The_BBall_Index) December 3, 2023
Bball Index explains that this metric measures how versatile a defender truly is. This metric is formed by taking a portfolio of players the defender guarded and see how often they defend each position. A perfectly versatile defender will guard each position 20% of the time.
This perfectly summarizes Barnes who has guarded players from point guard to shooting guard to center.
Barnes on his way to becoming an All-Star
Barnes is proving to be one of the best young players in the league. If he continues to thrive on both sides of the ball, then he will be an NBA All-Star in no time.
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