Raptors: 3 early-season predictions the media got completely wrong
By Mike Luciano
The Toronto Raptors came into the season with the expectation of being a team that was retooling. Even Masai Ujiri thought that a roster melding championship holdovers like Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet with young players like Scottie Barnes would experience some growing pains.
After nine games, that hasn’t necessarily been the case. Toronto has started the season off at 6-3, including a five-game winning streak that includes road victories against teams above .500 like the Knicks and Wizards. This team is far ahead of where everyone projected they would be.
The Raptors still have a lot of games left to win to prove that their hot start is not a fluke, but what has become clear very early on in this season is that the American media has really underestimated how high this team’s ceiling was.
These Raptors predictions have already gone off the rails, as the squad has shown that their swarming defense and ability to get some quality looks on the offensive end has them a bit closer to success than what was previously indicated.
3 Toronto Raptors predictions the media got wrong.
1. Scottie Barnes wouldn’t contend for Rookie of the Year.
ESPN had not one, not two, but 16 analysts make their Rookie of the Year picks before the season started. Even though Barnes was entering a situation that could help him produce right away, 15 of the 16 selected either Cade Cunningham or Jalen Green, with Tim Legler breaking the duopoly by choosing Evan Mobley.
Barnes might have picked up a thumb injury, but he is averaging 18.1 points and 8.9 rebounds. Those numbers not only show his tangible growth on both sides of the ball, but they’re well beyond what even the most optimistic fan thought he could do.
Toronto Raptors rookie Scottie Barnes might earn some hardware.
While Mobley has a legit case for the top rookie honor, and Chris Duarte has been impressive, neither of those players are currently capable of matching Barnes from a statistical point of view right now. Barnes is already a quality on-ball defender and a high-level interior finisher.
The fact that the Raptors took Barnes over Jalen Suggs surprised many, and it led to plenty of preseason prognosticators imagining Suggs to be the better player from the jump. Unfortunately, based on how this season has gone, Barnes looks like the more refined player at this juncture.