Is Scottie Barnes a point guard?

Samson Folk & Louis Zatzman detail the latest in the Raptors realm.

From Samson’s piece:

“Now, back to the pace. With Barnes being seen as more of the de facto “point guard” it meant the Raptors were trying to get him the ball more often in basically every scenario. Most importantly, they were getting him the ball in transition. Barnes has been seeing nearly 10 more backcourt touches a game during this stretch, and that means he gets to make early clock decisions. Do you want a hit ahead? An outlet? Do you want a big ol’ super computer pressuring the rim in transition? They’ve all been good options.

What I see, more than anything, is that the Raptors finally allowed Barnes to play in his best role: transition decision maker.

For a team that plays as much transition as the Raptors do, they’ve been horribly inefficient in doing so. They’re always playing fast, and always underperforming that aspect of their game. Across the Raptors first 70 games of the season they had one performance that would rank in the 90th percentile and above in terms of transition efficiency. Across the past 6, they’ve had 3. Barnes’ inclusion in more of the fast-paced decision making is not only a crystal clear upgrade on Immanuel Quickley, Brandon Ingram, RJ Barrett – whoever you want on the Raptors – it’s a clear upgrade on almost all of the NBA.

If you go to Barnes’ numbers in transition, the scoring stuff alone, you’ll be pretty nonplussed. The numbers are not great. However, when you extend out to Barnes’ playmaking included? Then you’re cooking with gas. The Raptors benefit greatly from that. When you look at a lot of the shots he created for teammates and a lot of the greatest aspects of putting Barnes on ball? It’s that stuff.

Coach Darko told me they’re working on getting the rest of the roster to really run with Barnes when he’s pushing the pace, and I do think that’s necessary, but it’s also flat out more necessary that they put the ball in Barnes’ hands to push more often. Does that mean the Raptors probably have to change how they sequence themselves into some opening actions and pet plays? Probably. Is the trade off worth it? Absolutely.”

Have a blessed day.

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