Raptors' Scottie Barnes pulls off insane feat no other player achieved in franchise history

Scottie Barnes is continuing to prove the Raptors' decision to retool around him as the correct decision.

The Toronto Raptors are embarking on a full-on youth movement, turning over the keys to the franchise to Scottie Barnes, the nascent 22-year old forward who made his first All-Star Game roster in 2024. Barnes has garnered the full trust of the Raptors front office, and for good reason — he can be an incredible playmaker when need be, his three-point shooting has improved by leaps and bounds, and his defense has improved astronomically.

On Monday night, during the Raptors' 130-122 win over the Indiana Pacers, Barnes' tools were in full display. He put up 21 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists, notching the fifth triple-double of his career. But that wasn't the only column he filled up on the box score, as he also managed to swat away five shots, and in so doing, he made history that further etches his name into Raptors franchise lore.

According to Sportsnet Stats, Scottie Barnes' incredible outing against the Pacers made him the first Raptors player in the franchise's 29 years of history to put up a triple-double along with five blocks in a single game.

Barnes' two-way development is going to be crucial if he's ever going to become the best player on a contending team. It's this versatility that would allow the Raptors to become more flexible in their roster-building process moving forward, and it looks like the 22-year old forward is flourishing in the post-Pascal Siakam era of the franchise.

At 6'7, Scottie Barnes' skillset makes him a top-notch building block for a retooling franchise to have; he can be a mismatch problem even for wings due to his speed and ballhandling, and he can make his teammates better thanks to his willingness to pass the ball. His three-ball has improved as well (from 28.1 percent last season to 35 percent this season), making him an even more lethal scoring threat.

And then there's Barnes' defense; he makes use of his 7'3 wingspan to alter shots at the rim, and this makes him quite the menace when it comes to helping from the weak side. The Raptors may be a middling team these days, but the future is bright thanks to Barnes' All-Star level production — and he's only getting better.