3 improvements Scottie Barnes must make to earn All-NBA

1. Shooting

Barnes is obviously a gifted player on both sides, but he was regarded as an overwhelmingly poor shooter when he came into the league last season. Shooting 30% on just over two attempts per game from deep was regarded by many as a huge success.

Barnes has not been taking his offseason work lightly, as he has been spotted taking games over at the Rico Hines runs. Considering how many poor shooters Nick Nurse has turned into respectable gunners at the professional level, getting Barnes (who has nice mechanics) into a groove shouldn’t be a problem.

Scottie Barnes needs to step up as a shooter.

Even if Barnes takes it slow and gradually evolves into a 35% shooter during this season, that will bump his scoring up and make it easier for Toronto’s offense to find that extra gear against elite competition. Doubling Siakam inside and packing the paint will be a thing of the past if Barnes becomes a viable threat.

Be it as a catch-and-shoot gunner or a pull-up specialist, Barnes needs to find some area as a shooter in which he excels next season. Barnes hasn’t disappointed Toronto yet, but it might be just a bit worrisome if he ends up flatlining in this area of his development.