The Toronto Raptors got off to a good start to the 2023-24 season with a 97-94 win against the Minnesota Timberwolves at home on opening night. The Raptors came into the season having opted to run it back rather than blow the team up and rebuild. A big part of the Raptors potential success lies with the development of Scottie Barnes. They need Barnes to take a big leap this season. Fans will love Barnes' take on the team's defense this season as per Eric Koreen of The Athletic.

Scottie Barnes is certainly in the mix in terms of the Raptors top defensive players. Just recently, Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic called Barnes a potential Defensive Player of the Year candidate. Barnes has been a versatile defender capable of guarding multiple positions on the court.

The Raptors are going to need a big jump overall though for Barnes. In their opening night win against the Wolves, Barnes finished with a well-rounded stat line of 17 points, eight rebounds, five assists, two steals and five blocked shots. He finished last season averaging 15.3 points per game, 6.6 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.1 steals with splits of 45.6 percent shooting from the field, 28.1 percent shooting from the three point line and 77.2 percent shooting from the free throw line.

Barnes is considered a building block for the future. The No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Barnes was the 2021-22 Rookie of the Year. The Raptors finished in the top four in opponents points per game last year at 111.4 and 12th in defensive rating at 114.0.