Scottie Barnes' growth given official stamp with first All-Star selection

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — On his first morning as an NBA All-Star, Scottie Barnes was on the floor at the Spectrum Center for an optional shooting practice prior to the Toronto Raptors' game against the Charlotte Hornets Wednesday night.

It offered a telling glimpse into Barnes’ journey from a relatively raw fourth-overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft to all-star status, and why the Raptors are rightfully convinced that he’s only scratching the surface of his potential.

Barnes, if you remember, was a little unusual as a top-tier pick. His passing, off-ball movement and defensive playmaking were already the most identifiable elements of his basketball signature, but his question marks were the on-ball offensive skills, ball-handling, shooting, and scoring. Usually it’s the reverse for uber-athletic teenagers making the leap to the professional ranks.

The story of his third season — and the All-Star recognition he’s earned along with it — is how the 22-year-old has bridged the gap between what has come naturally and his ability to leverage those gifts by scoring in different ways.

His growth got an official stamp Tuesday afternoon.

Barnes got the news on the Raptors team bus that he had been named an injury replacement on the Eastern Conference All-Star team. The news came from Raptors general manager Bobby Webster over the phone shortly before it was announced formally.

Who did Barnes tell first?

“Well, Gary [Trent Jr.] was right next to me, so I told Gary. And then Otto was behind me, told Otto. And then they announced it on the bus,” said Barnes. “[Otherwise]I didn't really tell nobody. I told the group chat, my boys' group chat, saying 'Our boy's just chill.' They didn't know what I was talking about. But then they realized soon after. Those were probably people I told. I let it be a surprise for my mom.”

His mom, as you might expect, was very happy for him.

“She sent me a whole paragraph, tears of joy, things like that,” Barnes said.

Barnes isn’t a stranger to league-wide recognition. He was Rookie-of-the-Year in 2022, after all.

But following a second season that was mostly just so-so, at least compared with the admittedly sky-high expectations he and others had for himself, Barnes has elevated his game once again, providing a very bright light in what has otherwise been a gloomy season.

But Barnes is far from a finished product. His ambition is to be one of the best players in the sport, a generational player. He’s showing signs, but it’s an incredibly high standard he’s trying to reach.

“I will say it's baby steps,” he said of his progress. “It's a part of the journey, taking it step by step.”

Fittingly, there was Barnes, out on the floor for an optional workout with Raptors assistant coach Jama Mahlalela and head coach Darko Rajakovic. They were cycling through a series of post moves designed to streamline his approach and take advantage of his ability to over-power the vast majority of the league’s wings and forwards, and out-quick most of the big men.

The payoff is not simply another route to scoring — especially late-clock or late-game situations — but the knowledge that if defences can’t manage Barnes one-on-one and are forced to send a second defender, his passing and feel should open up an endless array of open looks for his teammates.

Starting on the left block he worked on turning to the middle of the paint off the catch, using one dribble to get to his spot. But instead of rotating in order to square up to shoot face on, he worked on turning half as much and keeping his shoulders between the defender, keeping the ball in his right hand before lofting a soft, high-arching jump hook.

Maybe the San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama, at seven-foot-four and with arms to match could threaten that shot, but the list gets pretty short after that.

Then Barnes works on a rapid-fire option — catching the ball in the same spot but having his hips and feet almost moving before the pass arrives to spin baseline. This allows him to put the defender on his hip before they could possibly react.

The third option was a combination of moves, leveraging the first two choices, ending with a graceful ball fake and step through leading to a lay-up.

And then?

Barnes stepped to the three-point line to rep out his improving three-point shot, which promises to be the single additional skill that could unlock a decade of all-star appearances. If defenders feel the need to press up on Barnes at the three-point line, it will be an invitation to wreak havoc as Barnes is too big, too fast, and too smart a passer to be contained if he can drive into the defence with any kind of advantage.

It's all pretty enticing. Barnes is averaging 20.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.5 blocks this season with an effective field goal percentage — capturing both his two-point and three-point shooting efficiency — of 53.5. All are career highs and have been matched over a full season by only seven players in league history.  He’s the youngest player named an All-Star this season. The next youngest — in terms of service time — is Tyrese Maxey of the Philadelphia 76ers, who is in his fourth season. After that it’s Young, Luka Doncic and Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander, who are all in their sixth season.

After a brief plateau last season, Barnes is clearly back on schedule for stardom, if not slightly ahead of it.

The unfortunate thing is that a player whose individual skills are best suited to winning basketball is now on a team that likely won’t be winning much the remainder of this season. The Raptors are five games out of the final spot in the play-in tournament, and don't have an obvious path towards being competitive a year from now.

“It's probably not what I expected so far — nowhere near,” Barnes said of the Raptors season to date. “I just want to keep trying to win. I feel that's my most important goal and what I expect out of myself, being able to try to lead in any way possible. Leading and winning: That's my main focus, my main goal. We're not winning right now, so I don't think I'm (pleased).”

Perhaps most encouraging is that even in the midst of his first losing season as a professional, Barnes remains resolute and determined to keep frustration at bay.

“I come in every day positive, happy. You've got to enjoy it,” he says. “We're blessed to be in this position that we're in, playing. This is the best job in the world. I'm happy every day I come in here and try to work, build around our teammates and just continue to grow as a team. Every game here, we really compete. Just got to go out there and try to execute and work together to try to win. It's fun to go through these growing pains. It's never going to be easy. Winning in the NBA is hard. It's just competing and going together each and every single game. That's why we do it. We want to compete. We love it.”

Barnes will be tested in ways he couldn’t have imagined as this season unfolds and the Raptors' rebuild takes shape. But the development the NBA’s youngest All-Star represents is Toronto’s surest way back to competitive relevance over the long term.