Raptors: 3 lessons we learned from Toronto’s first 3 games
By Brian Swane
2. Scottie Barnes is the real deal
Is it too soon to declare this the dawn of the Scottie Barnes era? The 20-year-old rookie, who the Raptors drafted fourth overall out of Florida State, has arguably been Toronto’s best player through three games, and inarguably provided the best individual performance of the young season.
The 6-9 forward was simply sublime against Boston, leading all players with 25 points on 11/17 shooting from the field and pulling down 13 rebounds (including a game-high 6 on the offensive end). He turned the ball over just once and picked up only one foul in 35 minutes.
He was pivotal in staking Toronto to a 51-47 halftime lead, scoring 15 points on 6-9 shooting while the rest of the team was just 14-48 combined from the field. It was one of the finest showings ever by a Raptors rookie so early into his NBA career.
Star rookie Scottie Barnes is the top scorer on the Toronto Raptors.
Through three games, Barnes leads Toronto scoring, is second in rebounding to Precious Achiuwa. After turning the ball over six times in his NBA debut, he has just one turnover over 65 minutes in the last two games.
It’s like he’s adjusted to the NBA game overnight. He’s clearly self-assured, comfortable in his role, and is already “one of the guys”, as evidenced by his infectious friendship with veteran guard Goran Dragic, who raves about the young man. He’s a future leader with a demeanor to build team culture upon.