Scottie Barnes received some national media attention on Tuesday.
While discussing potential stars that could take a further leap and win the Most Improved Player of the Year award, Zach Lowe picked Barnes to take yet another step.
“My expectations almost could not be higher for Scottie Barnes,” Lowe said on his podcast, the Zach Lowe Show.
Barnes averaged 24.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 8.4 assists and 2.8 stocks in the playoffs, while playing exceptional and versatile defence. The performance solidly cemented Barnes as one of the top 10 players in the first round. Nikola Jokic, Paolo Banchero, and Joel Embiid (who played only four games) were the only other players to average more than 24 points, six rebounds, and six assists, and none matched Barnes’ defensive event generation.
Despite his herculean first-round effort, Barnes and the Raptors ultimately lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in seven games. But there’s plenty of promise for the future. After being limited on drives for much of his career, Barnes’ driving frequency more than doubled, from 7.8 per game during the regular season to 16.7 in the postseason. He was also more effective, passing out of them more often for more assists, drawing almost triple the free-throw attempts while maintaining efficiency with the increased volume. He got his hips past defenders more often, putting them in poor position to defend and drawing more fouls.