Scottie Barnes hits mark Raptors haven't seen in 16 years
When the Toronto Raptors drafted Scottie Barnes fourth overall in 2021, the hope was that they’d get a special talent.
And now in his third season with the franchise, it appears that the Florida State product is delivering on his end of that promise in the early stages of the year.
Through six games this season, Barnes is Toronto’s leading scorer with 21.3 points per game, by far the best mark of his young career.
And after putting up 17 points in Toronto’s opening day win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, Barnes has now registered at least 20 points in each of Toronto’s last five games.
While that might not exactly pop off the page by itself, it should with a little more context. Barnes, who turned 22 in August, is actually the first Raptor aged 22 or younger to have five-straight 20+ points games since Chris Bosh in 2007, as per NBA on ESPN.
5ļøā£ straight games with 20+ points for Scottie Barnes!
He's the first Raptor age 22 or younger to do it since Chris Bosh in 2007 š pic.twitter.com/TE0umBwG27
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) November 3, 2023
Bosh hit the mark from February 13 to February 24, 2007, after having registered 20+ in 15 straight contests from January 10 through February 9 of that same year.
Though the Raptors are just 2-4, Barnes’ strong play has been catching the eye of some of the league’s top talents.
“The size, the versatility, you know, he handles, he rebounds, he defends, he does everything. When youāve got a guy like that. As long as he continues to get better itās going to be trouble for a lot of people,ā Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard said earlier this week.
Barnes will get a chance to face off against one of the NBA’s other rising stars in his team’s next contest when the Raptors take on 2023 first overall pick Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs on Sunday afternoon in San Antonio. Opening tipoff for that contest is set at 12:30 pm PT/3:30 pm ET.