In this highly tense first-round playoff matchup between Toronto and Cleveland, several players have been making a name for themselves on both sides of the showdown.
On the Raptors' end, it has been an absolute delight watching the meteoric rise of youngsters like Collin Murray-Boyles, Ja'Kobe Walter, even Jamal Shead in samples. Then you have a hero like RJ Barrett, who stamped his legacy in the Raptors history books forever after an insane Game 6 ending sequence.
However, if you had to pin point one player who has outshined all in this Raptors vs. Cavaliers series, it would be hard to debate against Scottie Barnes being the clear-cut best player to emerge from this battle. All due respect to the Cavaliers' star-studded backcourt of Donovan Mitchell and James Harden, and deserved praise to Evan Mobley for his improved play as of late, but no one has matched the intensity level on multiple ends of the floor quite like Scottie B.
And in a series where the Raptors have had to endure Immanuel Quickley's absence from the lineup, then losing Brandon Ingram late in the series, it is Scottie Barnes who is taking on the load and it's helped get Toronto to a critical Game 7 later this evening.
But perhaps the most striking feat of Barnes' herculean effort in the Raptors postseason has been his stellar playmaking and savvy point guard work.
Scottie Barnes is turning heads with his postseason playmaking efforts
The regular season gave us glimpses of the brilliance of "Point Scottie," but he finished the 2025-26 campaign averaging 5.9 assists per game. That is still very impressive in its own right.
As highlighted earlier, missing IQ at the lead guard position has caused Barnes to step into more of a floor general role, on top of helping to drive the offense alongside RJ Barrett and company. Barnes is averaging 9.0 assists in the playoffs, which leads the team by a mile, as the next in line are Jamal Shead with 4.7 assists, while RJ Barrett is averaging 3.7 assists.
In just the last two-game sample, Barnes has recorded 25 total assists, with 11 assists in the tough Game 5 losing effort and a whopping 14 assists in the gutsy Game 6 victory.
Co-star RJ Barrett talked about what the playoffs have revealed about Scottie Barnes so far in a recent pre-Game 7 interview. Barrett alluded to Barnes' playmaking prowess, saying: "I think for me, his point guard skills. I think we've all seen that he can playmake and stuff, but I don’t think people knew that he could really sustain it over the course of this time. Obviously his defense, but he literally does everything, and it’s not a one or two game, he can do everything every single night."
Barnes’ ability to find the right target when the moment calls is a very dynamic edge in the Raptors' postseason push. It’s really a cherry on top of his already impressive role as a leader in offensive output, averaging 24.2 points in the postseason, and as the Raptors' defensive backbone.
With such immense responsibility on his shoulders and essentially working overtime without key players in the lineup, Barnes looked visibly exhausted in Game 6. The pressure will only increase in Game 7. But rest assured, Barnes's ability to influence the Raptors' game is unparalleled. And recently, it has been his playmaking that is really catching people's attention.
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