Toronto Raptors: 1 thing each 2021 Draft pick must improve

Scottie Barnes: Shot Creation

Barnes was expected to take games over in Summer League play on both offense and defense, and he played like how a No. 4 overall pick should be expected to play, blocking shots and getting to the rim with ease. He also showed that his jump shot is starting to slowly improve from what we saw in his days with the Seminoles.

However, Barnes isn’t a fully formed prospect on the offensive end just yet, and one of the reasons for that is he was never a tremendous isolation scorer or pull-up shooter. He’ll be given chances to make mistakes as a rookie, and he should use his time on the floor to work on expanding that part of his game.

Scottie Barnes still needs to be more of a primary creator on offense.

We’ve seen Barnes starting to show glimpses of this improvement, as he took it to Warriors draftee Jonathan Kuminga when they went up against one another. Summer League play is all well and good, but time will tell if he is able to create space and shooting opportunities for himself against high-level NBA defenders.

Let’s assume Barnes eventually gets that skill down, which is likely given the coaching staff that is around him. Toronto would’ve taken a 6-7, 225-pound point guard with impeccable defensive skills, a quality jumper, and the ability to make himself and others better on offense. Sounds like a good pick in my book.