The Raptors in Giannis sweepstakes & Scottie Barnes’ stardom

From Samson’s piece on Scottie:

“However, the tape did not lie about Barnes. He has translated so much of what he did well last season and expanded on it this season. If he was a defensive playmaker before, he is a supercharged version now. If he was a quiet helper before, obscuring driving lanes with his presence, he’s now become a loud subwoofer, booming and vibrating constantly as a reminder to everyone to be aware of him.

Speaking of that defensive playmaking, it’s the easiest thing to highlight. You’ll hear Matt Devlin bring it up on the broadcast every game. Barnes is putting up massive numbers. He is the sole NBA player with 30+ blocks and 30+ steals so far this season. Some even come in the game saving variety. He’s even in the top 10 in deflections per game. On top of all of this, Barnes is also in the top 25 in the NBA in shots contested at the rim. In that grouping, he’s one of 3 non-centers. He’s also top 10 in miles traveled on defense.

“We been working on that all summer. Trying to find ways to get deflections, to get steals, trying to find those little pockets where I can knock it out of defenders hands and be able to recover so we can get going on the offensive end.” Barnes told Kayla Grey prior to the matchup against the Trailblazers.

So, Barnes is not only creating a near league best amount of stocks (steals + blocks) — he’s 2nd in the NBA — those juicy, definitive playmaking stats, but he’s also near the top of the league in the quieter “this guy is doing stuff” stats. The correct read of Barnes’ defense at first blush is very much: “this guy is doing stuff.”

When big, athletic guys are hyper-active? That’s the good stuff. Rudy Gobert and Jaren Jackson Jr., while a good deal larger than Barnes, came into the NBA with sky high foul rates. Why? Because they were trying to make things happen. They wield their size and mobility as a cudgel against offenses, and they’ve both been awarded handsomely for it. Make stuff happen, then dial back the jackassery. If you get stumped in the latter? Maybe you’re closer to Hassan Whiteside on defense. Barnes, however, is already deep into his refinement process.”

Enjoy the episode.