areCharles Barkley is a big fan of Scottie Barnes.
The NBA Hall of Famer was reacting to a Toronto Raptors vs. Atlanta Hawks highlight package on ‘Inside the NBA’ when he made a strong claim about Barnes.
“Scottie Barnes is one of the 10-15 best players in the world,”Barkley told his co-hosts Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson on the broadcast.
Barnes being one of the best 10-15 players in the world would mean he’s an All-NBA player. He’s not there yet, but he’s certainly working towards it.
Barkley also said Barnes would be an All-Star if he wasn’t on a bad team. The Raptors are 12-33 and despite Barnes’ strong play this season it does seem unlikely that the 23-year-old will make his second straight All-Star Game appearance as a reserve.
However, that shouldn’t take away from the season Barnes is having. Barnes has been great on both sides of the ball. He is coming off a solid outing against the Atlanta Hawks. He put up 25 points in the win, including 11 points in the fourth quarter alone. Barnes also had a clutch block on De’Andre Hunter late to help seal the victory for the Raptors.
Through 31 games this season the Raptors’ forward is averaging 20.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 1.5 steals on 46.3 percent shooting from the field and 28.0 percent shooting from three. His numbers this season are better than they were last season. However, his shooting percentage is slightly down 1.2 percent and his three-point shooting has dipped 6.1 percent.
There is still room for Barnes to grow when it comes to his outside shooting, but he has benefitted from the mid-range shot which has become his go-to in games.
“I have been working on that for the past two summers….I’m confident in that shot every time I take it. It feels great, I get the space off it,” Barnes told William Lou of the Hello and Welcome podcast.
With Barnes playing more inside-out and playing to his mid-range game it has allowed him to truly flourish offensively. Combine that with his elite defensive play and Barnes might be ready to take that next step.
These Raptors players are deemed untouchable
According to one league source the untouchable players on the Raptors’ roster are Scottie Barnes and Gradey Dick.
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