Toronto Raptors: 3 Top 10 picks Scottie Barnes will outscore in 2021-22

The Toronto Raptors surprised some when they used the No. 4 overall pick on Florida State standout Scottie Barnes. Nearly all of the pre-draft pundits had Toronto selecting Gonzaga point guard Jalen Suggs, who was picked immediately after Barnes by the Orlando Magic at No. 5 overall.

Barnes might be a bit of a work in progress as a shooter, but his defensive potential could make him the best player in this class on that end. With the frame of a power forward and ball-handling skills of a point guard, Barnes figures to be a huge part of what Toronto wants to do in the future.

Barnes might not be handed a starting role right away, but Nick Nurse is not about to let a player of his caliber waste away on the bench. Expect Barnes to be given a heavy dose of ball-handling duties and offensive responsibility as a Sixth Man during his first season in the professional ranks.

If Barnes makes the necessary improvements in his shot and starts to create for himself in a slightly more efficient fashion than what we saw during his time with the Seminoles, he could be one of the best rookies in the 2021 class. He could even outscore these three classmates picked in the first 10 picks.

3 Top 10 picks that Toronto Raptors rookie Scottie Barnes will outscore.

3. Franz Wagner, Orlando Magic

Picked with a selection that Chicago handed over to Orlando in the Nikola Vucevic deal, Wagner will almost certainly start the year on the bench, as the return of Jonathan Isaac and emergence of players like Chuma Okeke will keep the Michigan man as a reserve alongside brother Moritz.

Like Barnes, Wagner came in with concerns about his offensive game, as he was never the most dynamic shot-creator with the Wolverines. On top of that, Wagner is getting dropped head-first into life in the NBA with a team full of young players that might contend for the No. 1 pick.

https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1420909939434745868

Scottie Barnes could make more of an impact than Franz Wagner

While Orlando may, in theory, give Wagner more shots due to the lack of star talent, Barnes will still be the better scorer, as he will be given a consistent offensive workload on a team that is coached a man in Nurse that has made a habit of generating offense in a flash.

Irrespective of Wagner getting designated as either a small forward or power forward, he might start his rookie season seven or eighth on the depth chart in terms of touches and shots. Throw into that the fact Jamahl Mosley is a rookie head coach, and that situation seems more chaotic than what Barnes has going for him in Toronto.

2. Jonathan Kuminga, Golden State Warriors

After choosing to reclassify and ball in the G League over playing in college, the Warriors were not concerned by the fact that he showed off plenty of inefficiencies as both a finisher and shooter last year and used the seventh overall pick on him. Normally, those picks are reserved for instant contributors.

Unfortunately, Golden State isn’t REALLY a lottery team, as they will once again be running out the Steph Curry/Klay Thompson/Draymond Green death squad when they all return to full health this season. Where is Kuminga, who was already getting cooked by Barnes in Summer League play, going to get touches?

Jonathan Kuminga will be buried behind tons of stars.

This isn’t to say Kuminga will be a bad player, as he is one of the best athletes in this class and has star potential. Unfortunately, it will take a very long time for him to realize that potential, and despite all of Barnes’ shortcomings, he looks further along than Kuminga right now

As raw as Barnes may be right now, he is ahead of Kuminga as an interior finisher and distributor. Barnes charging to the rack and pulling up from mid-range should be enough to help him overtake Kuminga on the scoring leaderboard.

1. Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavaliers were able to retain Jarrett Allen on a nine-figure deal and sign Mobley, a two-way center that would’ve been perfect for the Raptors if he had fallen to them. While some Toronto fans may still have refused to get over the fact their Mobley Photoshops will never become reality, Barnes has a path towards outscoring him in Year One.

As with Wagner, Mobley has to deal with a ton of young players who will all share the floor for heavy minutes and all of whom want to improve their own offensive games. Barnes has a defined role as the fifth or sixth scoring option in Toronto, while Mobley will be fighting for touches.

How many shots will Evan Mobley get?

The backcourt tandem of Darius Garland and Collin Sexton will require plenty of touches, and while Allen isn’t ball-dominant, they will need to get him scoring opportunities. Lauri Markkanen was brought in on a pricy four-year deal, 2020 No. 5 pick Isaac Okoro will be looking to take more shots, and Kevin Love is still hanging around.

Cade Cunningham and Jalen Green are going to be the two top scorers for rookies this year, as their rebuilding teams will give them full control of the offense. The situations for Barnes and Mobley are a bit different, as they won’t have as high a volume of attempts. Given the better infrastructure around him, Barnes should outpace Mobley in points.