Five straight, ladies and gentlemen. Let the good times keep on rolling.
After falling to the Philadelphia 76ers in their last loss on November 8, Toronto was able to beat Philly and return the favor on November 19. It was a thrilling game where the Raptors rallied past a halftime deficit to secure a 121-112 victory.
Leading the team in plus/minus was Scottie Barnes, who finished the night at +14. His full stat line against the 76ers included 16 points on 8-for-17 shooting, nine rebounds, five assists, one steal, and one block. Although he did have six turnovers, Barnes continues to make his mark in Raptors history with his ongoing streak of recording at least one steal and one block in consecutive games. On Monday, he surpassed the legendary Vince Carter's record in this category.
Point being, even when his numbers don't outshine the rest of his teammates per se (Brandon Ingram and RJ Barrett also had tremendous nights), the ever-consistent anchor holding down the Raptors' fort continues to be Scottie B. This season, he's showing more than ever that he might finally be blossoming into the star everyone has been waiting for.
Scottie Barnes had been that guy for the Toronto Raptors
Again, just based on the numbers, it might appear on paper that Barnes is doing the same things as in previous seasons. Currently, he is averaging 19.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.7 blocks in the 15-game sample to date. However, his defensive impact and ability to drive winning — by forcing turnovers on the other end and helping the Raptors push the pace — have set the tone for the successful brand of basketball Toronto is establishing.
Moreover, Barnes' solid progress on the three-point shooting end has been a pleasant surprise this year, currently standing at 38.9% from deep. However, it is still too early to tell if he can sustain this number for a full season.
On the latest edition of the Game Theory Podcast covering all things Week Four in the NBA, hosts Sam Vecenie and Bryce Simon discussed the brilliance of Scottie Barnes in the 2025-26 season so far (YouTube link here).
"... But to me, like [Scottie] Barnes is the one on both ends that's really driving this. His ability to get them uptempo, get them playing at pace by forcing turnovers, leading that uptempo play because he can grab and go. The ability to make high level passing reads at such a real clip — [Scottie] Barnes has been the real driver, to me, of this so far ... They have figured out how to utilize him and weaponize him in fun ways, and he's been great. Again, like this is a guy that probably an All-Star in the East right now, I would argue, in fact, I would almost say like definitely an All-Star in the East. He's been very, very good. "Sam Vecenie, Nov 17, 2025
It's becoming increasingly clear that whatever vision Toronto had in mind for Brandon Ingram's integration into the Raptors landscape — along with the quality supporting pieces around him — Scottie Barnes is finally showing how much of a powerhouse he can be when he doesn't have the weight of the franchise on his shoulders. With responsibilities shared equally, he's shining brighter than ever and, with all things considered, hopefully earning an All-Star berth in February.