It appears the Toronto Raptors have found something pretty special in rookie fourth overall pick Scottie Barnes.
It's not just his relentless defense, his willingness to defend the opposing team's best player on a nightly basis, or his high basketball IQ and superb passing that makes him stand out. Those things, of course, do help. But it's his passion for the game, the way he's constantly dancing, cheering on teammates, and celebrating the success of others that makes him unique in the league.
On Tuesday night, that love for the game jumped out at Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma who praised Barnes for the way he carries himself.
"I think the No. 1 thing that stands out with him is I just love that he has a certain type of passion for the game. You can tell he kind of loves it," Kuzma said. "He's very enthusiastic. He's out there screaming and trying to guard the best player."
Against Washington, that meant Barnes was on Bradley Beal's case. While Beal certainly wasn't giving it his all in the final preseason game, Barnes certainly stuck around to pester him, holding one of the league's most explosive scorers to a pitiful 1-for-11 shooting night.
"He's guarded some really good players. He spent so a lot of time on Tatum in Boston the other night and obviously Beal tonight. I think it's important," Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. "We're trying to rep a lot of these things out just to see what it looks like and then see how flexible and versatile a defender he is and he looked pretty good."
To Kuzma, the fact that Barnes is willing to take on that challenge as a rookie no matter who is standing in front of him speaks volumes.
"That just tells you he's a guy who's very, very hungry, that loves the game of basketball and wants to be great," Kuzma said. "Especially as a rookie, being young, it's very impressive to see."
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