Move over, Fred VanVleet, there's a new point guard in town for the Toronto Raptors. Sure, VanVleet was an All-Star last season, but he's no Scottie Barnes, the 6'9 do-it-all forward who appears to be the future of the Raptors franchise. (This is clearly a joke as VanVleet is a great starting point guard.) After averaging 15.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game en route to earning the 2022 Rookie of the Year honors, it seems as if Barnes is primed to make a huge leap, and there might be a chance he does it in a new position.
Speaking with reporters on Raptors media day, head coach Nick Nurse jokingly referred to Scottie Barnes as the Raptors' new point guard, as Barnes refers to himself as one on his Instagram bio, and Barnes responded, saying that he has “always been a point guard'.
“I always been a point guard. I always had those point guard things… but I feel like I could do it all, no matter what it is,” Barnes said. “I can play any position so I don't really try to limit myself to one position. I've always seen myself as a point guard. I feel like that's why I went to Florida State, they gave me the promise that I was gonna be the point guard of my team… that was really one of the main reasons why I went there.”
Scottie Barnes – "I always been a point guard." pic.twitter.com/Bjt9vd7H7K
— BasketballBuzz.ca 🇨🇦🏀🍁 (@basketballbuzz) September 26, 2022
At only 21 years old, the sky is the limit for Scottie Barnes, and his two-way versatility makes him such a seamless fit within the Raptors' roster filled with athletic, lengthy forwards who can do a bit of everything, alongside Pascal Siakam, a member of the All-NBA Third Team last season, and OG Anunoby. It's scary to think what Barnes is capable of doing on the court once he puts all his tools together.
Coach Nurse added that Barnes will have plenty of opportunities to initiate the offense, and it probably wouldn't be unreasonable to see Barnes average around five dimes per game next season.
Nurse on Barnes: "I heard he's a point guard on his Instagram." Says he plans to use him similarly to last year, and he'll get some more opportunities to initiate offence. "He likes that position, point guard. He likes it behind his name."
— (((Eric Koreen))) (@ekoreen) September 26, 2022
The Raptors were surprisingly a top-five seed in the Eastern Conference last year, finishing 48-34 only a year after going 27-45. Securing a top draft pick in 2021 has surely proven to be worth it, and it'll be interesting where Scottie Barnes' career goes from here, whether as a point guard, a center, or everything in between.
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