With the No. 4 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, the Toronto Raptors selected Scottie Barnes out of Florida State.
Barnes became Toronto's first lottery pick in five years. The last time the Raptors had a top 14 pick was 2016 when the franchise drafted Jakob Poeltl. Before Poeltl, it was Terrence Ross, who the Raptors selected with the No. 8 pick in the 2012 NBA Draft.
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Though the selection came as a surprise on draft night, Barnes was widely considered to be one of the best prospects in his class. He proved to be an elite and versatile defender in college, and he has tremendous upside offensively as a 6-foot-8 forward with guard skills.
Follow along below as we chronicle the rookie season of Barnes with his most memorable moments, stats and highlights.
Nov. 7: Scottie Barnes sets career-high in steals
Barnes was everywhere defensively in Toronto's loss to Brooklyn. He only played 30 minutes because of foul trouble, but Barnes picked up a total of five steals, setting a new career-high.
His most impressive steal came against four-time scoring champion Kevin Durant, leading to a dunk that would make OG Anunoby proud.
Jheeez... Scottie really said 'GIMMIE DAT' pic.twitter.com/MkrnYDFYzr
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) November 7, 2021
After the game, Durant spoke highly of Barnes: "You've got a lot of guys who love to compete and love to win, but what's more rare about Scottie Barnes is his IQ for the game, his length, his enthusiasm for the game."
Oct. 30: Scottie Barnes comes up clutch with another double-double
In his second meeting with the Pacers in a week, Barnes was even more dominant the second time around.
His double-double stat line of 21 points and 12 rebounds was impressive enough, but it was the timeliness to step up when his team needed him most that set him apart in this contest.
The Raptors entered the fourth quarter with a slim one-point lead in search of their third-consecutive win. Barnes came up clutch with 11 of his 21 points coming in the final frame, also grabbing five boards to help his team come away with the win.
Another night, another double-double for the rook.
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) October 31, 2021
21 Pts | 12 Reb pic.twitter.com/EjXSDERJ2T
Oct. 29: Scottie Barnes wins the first battle with Jalen Suggs
As a result of the Raptors taking Barnes over Suggs in the 2021 NBA Draft, this will likely be a matchup that is talked about throughout their entire careers.
The first installment didn't disappoint, as the Raptors just nearly held off the Magic in a one-point victory with both rookies putting on a show. Barnes went for 21 points, nine rebounds, two steals and one block, while Suggs matched him with 21 points, four assists and two rebounds.
While Suggs did knock down some clutch 3s, Barnes stole the show with the best highlight of his young career, going the entire length of the court in just three dribbles to throw down an electric dunk that sent Scotiabank Arena into a frenzy.
Took Scottie Barnes three dribbles for the full-court slam 🤯 @brhoops pic.twitter.com/g0dbH552HW
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 29, 2021
Oct. 27: Scottie Barnes dishes career-high seven assists in near-triple-double
Barnes' playmaking ability was harped upon coming out of college after essentially playing point guard in his one season at Florida State. He displayed some passing chops throughout Summer League, preseason and the first few games of his NBA career, but this contest against the Pacers really proved what all the hype was about.
Barnes dished out a career-high seven assists to go with 18 points and seven boards in a near-triple-double effort.
I mean, how many rookie forwards are initiating offence, throwing no-look passes to catch opposing defences sleeping like this?
Aside from Barnes, the answer is not many, if any at all.
Oct. 22: Scottie Barnes records his first double-double
Following Toronto's season-opening loss to Washington, Barnes powered the Raptors to a blowout victory over the Celtics.
Not only did not Barnes score a team-high 25 points on 11-for-17 shooting from the field, but he also pulled down 13 rebounds to record the first double-double of his NBA career.
Rook showed out last night.
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) October 23, 2021
25 Pts - 13 Reb - 65 FG% pic.twitter.com/S0ajkvB3vB
Oct. 20: Scottie Barnes makes his debut
The Raptors opened their season with a 98-83 loss to the Wizards, but Barnes flashed his all-around potential.
In 32 minutes of action, Barnes finished with 12 points, nine rebounds, one assist and one steal. He shot 5-for-13 from the field and 2-for-3 from the free throw line.
Barnes scored his first basket in style, draining a left-handed skyhook over Wizards sophomore Deni Avdija.
Scottie Barnes with the skyhook in his first NBA game 😅 pic.twitter.com/8cBTAAXPf7
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) October 21, 2021
Scottie Barnes stats
| OVERALL | GP | MIN | PTS | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | TOV | STL | BLK | PF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | 9 | 34.8 | 16.6 | 7.2 | 13.8 | 52.4 | 0.2 | 1.1 | 20 | 1.9 | 2.7 | 70.8 | 3.1 | 5.6 | 8.7 | 2.4 | 2.1 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 2.8 |
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