I hate to see the collective team dynamic doing so poorly when there have been several individual Raptors player storylines to get excited about. Toronto's overall foundation feels a bit shaky so far (especially on the defensive end), even just in a short five-game sample size. Many people have pointed out that the Raptors' ability to set the tone early in the season could really make or break how things turn out for them. But despite that, there are still reasons to stay hopeful.
Whether it's RJ Barrett's consistency as a top player or upside shown by rookie Collin Murray-Boyles, these are some of the bright spots that give Raptors fans something to praise in the midst of mediocrity. And yet again, I raise another positive development to arise for Toronto, as it pertains to their franchise cornerstone, Scottie Barnes.
Are we seeing the birth of a new 3PT threat in Scottie Barnes?
We all know how solid Scottie Barnes can be as a dynamic point forward with the potential to be an elite defender. But for years now, Raptors fans have been eagerly waiting to see Barnes fully develop his three-point shooting and become a consistent threat from beyond the arc. We've already seen a bit of a boost in Barnes's three-point shooting during the 2023-24 season, when he averaged 34.1% from deep (1.7 makes on 4.9 attempts). As we've seen in the Darko Rajakovic era, the Raptors' head coach is big on encouraging his players to shoot and get those reps up, even if every shot doesn't fall — just look at what he recently said about struggling guard Immanuel Quickley.
But other than that one year when he shot over 30%, Barnes took a step back in the 2024-25 season, dropping to just 27.1% from three (1.2 makes on 4.3 attempts). Last season, I wrote several times that he needed to stop trying to be something he's not and go back to basics — focusing on being an aggressive finisher at the rim and shifty work in the mid-range.
It’s been a pleasant surprise to see Scottie Barnes leading the Toronto Raptors in three-pointers made, at least over this five-game stretch. He’s currently 11-for-20 from beyond the arc (2.2 makes on 4.0 attempts per game), which comes out to 55.0% — and that’s a very encouraging trend. Of course, this number is likely to come back down as the season goes on, but for Raptors fans who have been patiently waiting to see sniper Scottie Barnes unleashed, we might be watching it unfold before our very eyes.
Even if his season-long percentage ends up around the mid-30s or higher — similar to what his co-stars RJ Barrett and Brandon Ingram average — it would be a huge win for the team. Although, there’s certainly a lot more cleanup needed around the Raptors’ weaknesses to get out of this rough patch they’re stuck in. But if we start seeing Scottie Barnes, who’s been a notoriously poor shooter, turn into one of the team’s main threats in that area — kind of like Ochai Agbaji did last year — perhaps the Raptors' underwhelming fortunes so far can turn around for the better as a result.