CLEVELAND — Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes ripped the ball down on his own defensive glass in traffic and was off.
Barnes sprinted, and every Cleveland Cavalier who was getting back in transition and not behind the play was back on his heels. As Barnes put pressure on the defence, Cavs All-Star and All-NBAer Evan Mobley had to make a decision: stop Barnes, or take away the passing lane in transition. Before Mobley could choose, Barnes’ left-handed pass whizzed by his head, destined for Jakob Poeltl’s hands and a dunk.
“Sometimes we laugh at him because he pushes it hard every time,” Raptors guard Jamal Shead said after the Raptors’ 126-113 win over the Cavaliers on Thursday. “Sometimes (the Raptors have an advantage with) numbers, sometimes … not. But that makes us want to run with him. You know he’s pushing it and he’s getting an advantage, but we’re not down there to help him, and (that) looks bad on us. He’s such a leader that he does it with his voice and with action.”
In other words, Barnes epitomizes what the Raptors want to be. After a rough first five games, the Raptors have won six of their last seven to move to 7-5. And it’s Barnes leading the way, becoming a galloping two-way threat. He is first or second on the team in each of the major counting stats, averaging 20.2 points, 7.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game. He played one of the best games of his career against the Cavs, with 28 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and five blocks.
The Raptors are small, and Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, Barnes’ draft classmate who was selected one spot ahead of him and finished just behind Barnes in the 2021-22 Rookie of the Year voting, were out there. Both of the Cavs’ big men are wonderful players, but Barnes, frankly, bullied them for large portions of the night. The Raptors, who were getting wrecked in the paint to start the season, outscored the bigger Cavs 60-54.
“I know what I’m capable of, so (I’ve) just got to bring that every single night,” Barnes said. “Be aggressive, attacking downhill, being aggressive on both ends, and I was just helping my teammates a lot. If someone gets beat, just trying to be there to help for them.”
It might not seem like it, but this is why the Raptors traded for Brandon Ingram, or at least part of the justification. With Ingram taking on a big chunk of the half-court offence, Barnes could play the high-energy, 94-foot game that showcases his myriad skills. Barnes isn’t meant to be a Kawhi Leonard-type monster in the midrange. He’s not even there to take on the toughest one-on-one defensive assignment every night, although he can do that. He should be playing more in the mode of a slightly smaller Giannis Antetokounmpo, pushing the pace for his teammates and causing havoc defensively near the rim.
“(Ingram) draws so much attention,” Barnes said of playing with his new teammate. “They were sticking more close to him today, denying him, trying to be super aggressive. … You’ve just got to find ways to help him out, but he’s also drawing a defender out of the play. So the lanes are more open, there’s less help there (and you’re) able to make more kickouts.”
If Barnes has space, he can be a terror. Since the Raptors traded Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby almost two years ago, it has been easy to forget that. The Raptors have lacked shooting even when relatively healthy, which has been rare. With no pressure to win games, the Raptors let Barnes explore what he could and could not be. Each learned lessons.
While Barnes has shown flashes as a shooter from both the midrange and 3 — he’s shooting 44.4 percent on his first 45 attempts of the season — his touch is not going to be what makes him special. For someone his size, Barnes has great vision. For someone with that vision, he can play with staggering brute force. If there are crevices to exploit, Barnes goes from a miscast No. 1 option to a tone-setter who doesn’t need to be defined so narrowly. He came into the game behind just Detroit’s Ausar Thompson in deflections among non-guards.
“When you look at 28 points, eight assists and the offensive stuff, it’s easy to identify he had a good game,” coach Darko Rajaković said. “He does so much more for us — defensively with five blocked shots, (the) deflections that he’s creating, rotations, how he’s covering for us defensively. He’s doing an outstanding job for us.”
Rajaković wants the Raptors to play a high-intensity, high-effort style, which can drain players. Barnes asked for a substitution five minutes into the third quarter, but only after leading the Raptors as they backed up a great second quarter with a solid start to the third. Rajaković has spoken frequently about how he wants his players to empty the tank and ask out if necessary. Barnes, after doing that and more, lay down prone on the baseline next to the Raptors’ bench.
After how maniacally he pushed the ball to help the Raptors get 28 fast-break points and how tough he was in both the offensive and defensive paints, not to mention the deft vision he showed, Barnes had earned it. The Raptors won his 35 minutes by 18 points, and it was a night when individual plus-minus did not lie. He has been the strongest of the Raptors’ starters, who have been hit and miss as a unit, in that category for most of the young season.
Barnes has been impactful all over the floor. And if Barnes is at his best, there is a good chance his team will follow.