Scottie Barnes finished his sixth season with the Raptors with his first All-Defensive Second Team nod—a great accomplishment although he and many Raptors fans weren’t exactly thrilled that he missed out on the top five. Barnes was one of the most versatile and switchable defenders in the entire league all season long and led the NBA in clutch blocks.
His ability to impact the game in many ways defensively and deliver in big moments, earned him a top-eight selection on Sam Vecenie’s and Bryce Simon’s list of top 25 defenders on the August 23 episode of The Game Theory Podcast. Barnes finished eighth, sandwiched between Evan Mobley at nine and Amen Thompson at seven. For Vecenie, another reason for his ascent into the top ten was a notable improvement Barnes has made compared to his earlier years in the NBA.
“I thought that the on-ball defense improved enough where I thought it was well above average now, as opposed to before I thought it was pretty average to where at times it could be a little below average,” Vecenie said.
He also added, “I think he’s gotten a little bit more flexible, too, in terms of his movement ability. That was what really I struggled with in his first few years in the NBA was that I felt like you could kind of get by him as he was turning his hips. I think he’s gotten more flexible through his hips now, and he’s also gotten better at just knowing when to turn and run and play in recovery and just be like, ‘Nope, I’m just going to erase this.’”
Barnes’s defense fuels the Raptors
The Raptors returned to the playoffs on the back of the fifth-best defense in the NBA. Only the Oklahoma City Thunder, Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, and Boston Celtics had a better defensive rating than the Raptors during the regular season. They forced the second-most turnovers behind the Houston Rockets with 17.7 and held opponents to low second-chance point averages and limited fast-break points well.
That defensive tenacity was invaluable, considering that the Raptors were a middling offensive team, and Barnes was the backbone of the defense. He was the team’s best rim protector, averaging 1.5 blocks per game, and led the Raptors in steals per game with 1.4. His versatility and switchability opened up a ton of options and different schemes for head coach Darko Rajakovic. He can also close out defensive possessions with rebounds and immediately transition to offense. The Raptors’ offense was at its best when they were running and pushing the pace off a defensive stop.
If Kawhi Leonard joins the Raptors for the 2026-27 season, they should be much better offensively, but defense will once again be the key to their success, especially when Leonard has to miss games. After his phenomenal playoff run, Barnes is expected to take a step forward as a scorer next season. Nevertheless, his biggest asset as the Raptors’ most important player will continue to be his defense.
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