There are no two ways about it—this is completely out of my comfort zone.
As a proud Libra, I am infamously a lukewarm take specialist. There is no topic which I cannot fall into a middling opinion on, and that’s largely because resorting to extremes rarely provides a coherent and useful portrait of the matter at hand.
Balance in all things. Start with that, and you’ll usually find yourself asking the proper questions.
But that’s not what this piece is about (and let’s face it, the spicy takes are what most of you want anyway, right?), and so it is with a great bundle of nervous energy that I offer three early overreactions based on the Raptors’ jubilant season thus far.
Let’s get crazy.
Scottie Barnes, All-Star
It’s strange to think so from a macro and historical perspective, but this take almost doesn’t feel like an overreaction. It is, because the last rookie to get selected for the All-Star Game was Blake Griffin in 2011 (and even this was after a lost initial season), but it isn’t in the sense that, through seven games, Scottie Barnes has been a revelation, finding the cadence the Raptors want to play at and easily slipping into his own mellifluous rhythm to match it.
Barnes is averaging 18.1 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists on a 58.5 true shooting percentage, which rank first, first, ninth, and fourth amongst all rookies that have logged at least 15 minutes per contest, respectively.
He’s also doing it on a 21.5 usage rate, and while he’s delivered flashy highlights like monster dunks after turning corners at shocking speeds, he’s been an even bigger part of the in-between game, holding steady as one of Toronto’s best offensive rebounders, excelling as a rover defensively, and acting as a general connector for each offensive possession he’s a part of.
He’s been momentarily hampered by a sprained thumb, but aside from the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Evan Mobley, he’s been the standout player amongst the draft’s lottery picks.
With the tools, intellect, and instincts for the game he’s shown thus far, there’s no reason to believe he won’t be able to improve from this impressive starting point as the season rolls along (and with Pascal Siakam soon to return).
Gary Trent Jr., Defensive Monolith
Just like with Barnes, it’s time to start campaigning early for Gary Trent Jr. when it comes to awards based on defensive play.
It’s been brought up to death at this point, but he’s been a deflecting (ranked first in the league with 38 total) and stealing machine (97th in steal percentage among wings) – and that's before his three-steal game against the Washington Wizards. He is constantly playing with a high level of effort and energy, and although his gambling doesn’t always pay off, being implemented into the starting lineup with plus-defenders around him has made that proclivity more viable.
And, to be fair, a lot of the time his endeavors do bear fruit.
He certainly has some work still to do as an off-ball defender, but his on-ball hawking has been excellent. The Raptors currently own the league’s seventh-best defensive rating (102.7), too, and the fact that he’s been able to stand out amongst a squad of largely stalwart stoppers is nothing if not notable.
Get out your signs.
Toronto Raptors, Offensive Powerhouse
It sounds blasphemous (and probably is), but there’s a pathway to the Raptors becoming a top-10 offensive team this season.
Right now, Toronto ranks 14th (107.4) in the league in offensive rating, despite 74.7 percent (ranked second) of its plays coming in the half-court, where it has only been able to muster a measly 85.1 points per 100 plays (25th), per Cleaning The Glass.
It’s managed to keep that number from dipping into complete death knell territory via a spirited focus on offensive rebounding, but hustle and effort can only go so far.
Luckily for the Raptors, they not only have an all-star waiting in the wings in Siakam, but a rock solid role player in Yuta Watanabe, who looked to have improved his game significantly in the preseason.
Adding both of those players back into the mix (Siakam in particular, of course) will increase the amount of punch the team can deliver in all facets, from the transition game that the club is heavily zeroed in on to, yes, the half-court dynamics.
Having a proven all-star back in Siakam, a pseudo-all-star in Fred VanVleet, a potential All-Star in OG Anunoby, and a breakout rookie star in Barnes coming together to mesh into a singular, fluid entity could manifest into a potency that would shatter the season’s esoteric expectations, and could even lead to a more thrilling postseason finish.
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