This postseason will undoubtedly answer key questions about the Scottie Barnes-led Raptors as it's his first time guiding the team into the playoffs. And in the process, it could also set the tone for Scottie Barnes' defining legacy in Raptors history.
DeMar DeRozan played nine seasons in Toronto, but his rise to Raptors greatness began in the postseason. Kyle Lowry is considered by most (myself included) to be the G.R.O.A.T. (Greatest Raptor of All-Time), largely because of the playoff success he helped bring to the franchise.
Looking back on Vince Carter’s career, we remember the highlights and phenomenal play. Yet he is not ranked higher on the all-time Raptors list because of playoff shortcomings. Chris Bosh falls into a similar category. Bosh, who may have had a higher statistical peak than Lowry or DeRozan, is rarely mentioned in the same all-time Raptors conversations.
Scottie Barnes’ first playoff run as a leader
That brings us to Scottie Barnes. Barnes is just 24 years old and already doing things no player in Raptors history has done. He became the eighth player ever to lead his team in rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks in a single season, and the 12th to record 400 assists and 100 blocks in the same year.
His statistical accomplishments are breathtaking, but they will only take him so far in the Raptors pantheon. If Barnes wants to reach the level of DeRozan, Lowry, or even Kawhi Leonard, who will always have a special place in Toronto, he will have to produce on the biggest stage.
It is unreasonable to expect that to happen this season. It took Lowry and DeRozan four years and three postseason appearances before they finally won a series. Barnes gained some playoff experience as a rookie, but this is the first time the responsibility truly belongs to him.
What Raptors fans need to see this postseason
One thing we did see in the first playoff series Lowry and DeRozan played together was potential. It was a seven-game slugfest against a lower-seeded, yet still favoured, Brooklyn Nets team led by Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett.
The Raptors lost the series, but there were valuable lessons. The following year brought a disappointing sweep at the hands of the Wizards, with Lowry dealing with injuries. By their third postseason run, Lowry and DeRozan had led the franchise to its first-ever Conference Finals.
Bosh’s playoff résumé in Toronto was far less convincing. In his fourth season, he led the Raptors to a semi-competitive first-round loss against the New Jersey Nets, followed by an uncompetitive five-game exit the next year. He was never able to lead Toronto back to the postseason.
If Scottie Barnes wants to follow in the footsteps of the greatest Raptors of all time, this postseason is his first opportunity to show this group has something real. Not a finished product, but a foundation for this front office to build upon.
That means showing the fanbase that Toronto can compete in a series, even if they are expected to lose. It also means Scottie Barnes looking like the best player on the floor against elite competition. That is how Barnes begins to build an all-time legacy.
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