When the Toronto Raptors drafted Scottie Barnes in 2021 they had high hopes that he would develop into a special player.
Barnes would go on to win the 2021-22 Rookie of the Year under Nick Nurse.
After the Raptors underperformed in the following season, they decided it was time to undergo some drastic changes and start their rebuild around Barnes.
The Raptors signed Barnes to a rookie-scale max extension this past summer, doubling down on him as the new face of the franchise.
Nurse was back in Toronto on Oct. 25 and spoke highly about Barnes before the 76ers took on the Raptors, via Sports Illustrated’s Aaron Rose:
“Obviously, an All-Star player. He’s kind of in a role now that maybe we — [I mean] they — envisioned when they got him. He pushes the ball. He’s a push guard that wants to force the pace and get in the paint. He’s unselfish, and that creates a lot of offense, not only for himself, but for for others too. So, I mean, he’s really doing that at a high pace right now and doing it high frequency.”
Barnes ended up having a strong performance against Nurse’s 76ers putting up a game-high 27 points on 8-for-11 shooting from the field. Barnes was more aggressive and did a great job of getting to the free throw line.
Nurse commented on Barnes’ solid performance postgame, via Adam Laskaris:
“I figured he’d have a good game…we didn’t quite have the size that he faced (vs. CLE). A little bit of everything…he had a lot of racing-down-the-floor baskets, felt like he shot a lot of free throws.”
Barnes spent two seasons under Nurse and got to learn a lot for him. When Barnes was coached by Nurse, he was a rising star. Now, he’s an All-Star talent looking to enter NBA superstardom.
Raptors beat 76ers as Barnes & Mogbo shine
The Raptors bounced back to beat the 76ers 115-107.
Both teams combined for 66 fouls and 99 free throws in a game that nearly lasted 3 hours.
The Raptors effort level was much better in this one and their defense was excellent. They limited the 76ers to 38 percent shooting from the field and 31 percent shooting from three.
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