Kyle Lowry calls Scottie Barnes “cornerstone” for Raptors franchise
By Mike Luciano
The Toronto Raptors fanbase may have given Kyle Lowry all of the love and adoration they had to give in his return to Canada, but the greatest Raptor to ever do it managed to get the last laugh. Despite strong outings from Fred VanVleet and Scottie Barnes, the Miami Heat were able to grind out a win.
When the Raptors let Lowry leave for Miami, they turned the page and started a new war of basketball in which VanVleet and Barnes were taking centerstage. Barnes’ Rookie of the Year campaign has made it easy for stars from around the league to heap praise on his long-term potential.
Names like LeBron James and Kevin Durant have already made sure to single out Barnes’ performance when they went head-to-head with the Florida State dynamo. Even though the Raptors didn’t manage to win, it looks like Lowry came away from their game extremely impressed with Barnes.
Lowry said that Barnes is a “special talent” and a “cornerstone” of this Raptors franchise. Lowry said that he told Barnes to “keep going” as he tries to assert himself as a star in this league. Now that Barnes officially has the Lowry stamp of approval, he can start trying to succeed him as the foundational piece in Toronto.
Lowry on Scottie Barnes: "He's a special talent. He's gonna be a cornerstone of the franchise. He fits in perfectly here - how hard he plays, how passionate he is for the game. And he's only gonna continue to get better. I just told him to keep going, don't stop"
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) April 4, 2022
Kyle Lowry hyped up Toronto Raptors rookie Scottie Barnes.
Barnes scored 19 points and recorded seven rebounds in the loss against Miami. Scottie averaged 17.0 points and 8.3 rebounds per game in four games against Miami this season, which is an impressive task given the Heat’s veteran pedigree and difficult defensive scheme.
Barnes is averaging 15.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game during his first NBA season. Though VanVleet was named an All-Star and Pascal Siakam is starting to become an All-NBA level performer, Barnes is the maypole around which Toronto is building their future.
Since 2000, the only other rookie to average 15 points, seven rebounds, and three assists per game while making at least one 3-pointer per game is Luka Doncic. Becoming the next franchise player is not an easy task, but Lowry seems to think that Barnes will eventually reach that elevated plateau.
Since 2000, only two rookies have averaged 15+ PTS, 7+ REB, 3+ AST and 1+ 3PM per game.
— Pascal Propaganda (@PascalFanClub) March 27, 2022
Luka Doncic and Scottie Barnes
Lowry’s departure came at the perfect time for the Raptors, as they were able to rip the Band-Aid off and start fresh with a new Barnes-led young core. Lowry has now officially passed the point guard torch to VanVleet, and Barnes is already being anointed as the guy who can eventually step into his shoes as the face of the franchise.
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