3 reasons Raptors’ Scottie Barnes must be in 2023 MIP race

1. Thriving in adversity

Think about everything that has gone wrong for the Raptors this season. Pascal Siakam is having his worst season in a half-decade, the spacing is still a problem due to the lack of shooters, and the bench is once again ranked among the worst in the entire NBA.

Despite all of that, the brilliance of Barnes has been so radiant that he led the San Antonio comeback and played a big part in helping Toronto eke out a victory in a low-scoring season opener against Minnesota. Imagine what will happen if Toronto corrects these errors.

Scottie Barnes is thriving despite issues with the Toronto Raptors.

Be it via a Siakam trade, some moving and shaking in the rotation, or the rest of the non-Barnes role players all turning into Steph Curry to aid with spacing, something needs to change. If it does, a player who thrived in a poor half-court offense like Barnes could really step on the gas.

While the Siakam problems need to be sorted out, they should come at the expense of a player in Barnes who is coming into his own as a scorer. He’s seizing control of this franchise in a way that has to make Masai Ujiri and the front office grin from ear to ear.

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