As the Toronto Raptors look to get back to contending status in the Eastern Conference, they are going to have to face a difficult but truthful reality: Great as his talent may be, Scottie Barnes is simply not going to become a top-10 player in the association.
This is not meant to be a knock on Barnes. He's still a fantastic player, but realizing the ceiling for what he can become is important if Toronto is to have success in building a contending roster in the coming years.
In the grand scheme of things, Scottie is going to be a fantastic number two or number three option on a winning team. But the Raptors have tried to mold him into a franchise player, and that tactic is simply not going to work. Barnes needs to be paired with a true number one option.
Despite this, we can still give credit where it's due. Scottie Barnes has panned out much quicker than many were expecting he could on draft night back in 2021. He averaged 19.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 5.8 assists in 2024-25 while operating as Toronto's most consistent player on both offense and defense.
Barnes is not going to be a number one on a championship team
There are certain elements to Barnes' game that make him special that are simply hard to teach. His impressive motor and strong defensive instincts being a few. Additionally, his improved shooting performances have been a pleasing development, and they've made him the clear alpha on this team since Fred VanVleet left town.
However, he's still not a top-10 type talent, and that's okay to acknowledge. When you think about the best players the league has to offer, you think of Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum and others. Scottie simply isn't at that level, and I don't think he's going to reach it in the future.
All the aforementioned players have some highly refined ability whether it's scoring gravity, elite playmaking touch, top-level shot creation or something else. Barnes simply doesn't display these traits at the level the others do, and he's yet to prove to us that he can go nuclear and take over games against elite competition.
Again, all this doesn't mean the Raptors should feel bad about where they're at. Scottie Barnes is still an excellent piece to have and to build around, so in that way we should really still feel a certain level of confidence in their direction. But it's going to be important to remember that number four can't be Toronto's best player for the long haul.