The Toronto Raptors have relied on the contributions of some of their young players for large chunks of the 2021-22 season. The selections of Scottie Barnes and Dalano Banton in the 2021 NBA Draft in addition to the trade for Precious Achiuwa show that the youth movement is fully underway.
While Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam are going to do everything possible to make sure that the Raptors make it to the postseason, Masai Ujiri may be eyeing 2022-23 and beyond as the next jumping-off point for the next generation of Toronto basketball. The development of the young guys is imperative to success down the line.
As it to be expected, the Raptors have been through some serious growing pains lately. With so many young players getting their first or second cracks at life in the NBA, this isn’t necessarily shocking. However, there have been some standout moments mixed in amid all the underperformance.
With almost one-third of the season in the books, let’s take a look at how these youngsters are progressing. Where are they making strides, and where are they struggling to put things together?
Before we begin, Justin Champagnie and David Johnson are not on this list, as they haven’t played enough minutes to have their performance properly evaluated.
Grading 4 Toronto Raptors rookies and sophomores in 2021-22.
Scottie Barnes
The Raptors caused the mock draft experts great consternation when they chose to take Barnes over Jalen Suggs, but his play over the first few weeks of the season has been simply sensational. He may even end up earning Rookie of the Year honors if he can keep this level of play up.
Barnes is averaging 15.2 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game while making just under half of his shots. His 3-point shooting may have been a question heading into last season, but after draining nearly 35% of his attempts while taking over two shots per game from deep, he is starting to turn that negative into a positive.
Scottie Barnes has been dominant for the Toronto Raptors.
Barnes was originally viewed as an incongruous fit alongside Siakam, but the two appear to be meshing beautifully. With frontcourt players dropping like flies due to injuries, Barnes’ ability to defend post players is becoming even more valuable as the season churns along.
While Barnes has not had a perfect rookie season, as his off-ball defense needs work, it’s hard to look at his season so far and not come away extremely impressed by how he’s performed. If he continues to make adjustments to his game, he could end up becoming a primary scorer before his rookie deal is up.
Grade: A