The Dream starting 5 for the Toronto Raptors 5 years from now
By Mike Luciano
Point guard: Scottie Barnes
The Raptors may have used Barnes all over the floor in his very brief career, but he likely dreams of becoming the starting point guard for this team at some point in the future. Darko Rajakovic will likely give him a chance to earn such a distinction this season.
If World Cup star Dennis Schroder ends up taking to a bench role, the Raptors can lean fully into the Barnes experience. Even the most basic experience of watching Barnes can be mouth-watering, as his ability to find his teammates and be an instant offense-generator when he gets in a groove.
Scottie Barnes is the future of the Toronto Raptors.
Barnes is going to have some role on this team for the next half-decade, but he needs to keep working hard to make sure he keeps getting more prominent every single year. We’ve seen dozens of players like Barnes show promise early on and then stagnate from a developmental point of view.
Rajakovic hasn’t shied away from the fact the offense will be run through Barnes this season, and he likely earned the job by convincing Ujiri he was the coach who could get the most out of Barnes. Even if the wins aren’t plentiful in 2023-24, Barnes needs to be the star of the show.