Raptors: Ranking the best moves Masai Ujiri made in the offseason

1. Picking Scottie Barnes over Jalen Suggs

Picking Barnes No. 4 overall was a shock to many, as nearly every mock draft you could round up beforehand had Suggs going to Toronto and Barnes falling to either Orlando at No. 5 or Oklahoma City at No. 6. I don’t think anyone who doubted the pick on draft night is keeping that same energy now.

Barnes is averaging 16.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game, all while being tasked with some very challenging defensive matchups early on in his career. Suggs will have a quality career in Orlando, but he got off to a very sluggish start shooting the ball.

Scottie Barnes will be a long-term building block for the Toronto Raptors.

Barnes and Cavaliers stud Evan Mobley have had the two hottest starts in what has been a very impressive rookie class. Still, while Mobley was expected to be an impact two-way player immediately, Barnes was thought to be a bit raw on offense. It took all of nine games to smash that stereotype.

Barnes has been the best player on the floor multiple times for Toronto this season, and he looked like a natural fit alongside Siakam in the starting lineup despite the fact they didn’t grab a win against the Nets. It’s hard to find anything to be overly critical of in Barnes’ start to life in the NBA.