When you think of great defenses across the NBA lifespan, they’re usually anchored by bigs. The mind can drift anywhere from Bill Russell to Hakeem Olajuwon to Tim Duncan and, now, Victor Wembanyama.
Draymond Green altered how we view the prototype of a rim-protecting anchor of a world-beating defense. Priding himself on the theory that prevention is better than cure, Green’s best days saw him snuff out actions just as soon as they would begin with his tremendous feel. He was quick enough to stomp out paths to the rim from the perimeter and his ferocious hands were ready to snatch at the ball like a moth to a flame.
Green, while still a great defender, is turning 36 in a couple months and has a flickering flame. Part of the evolution of sport and Green leaving his own legacy is seeing others emerge in the same mold and do it even better.
There is perhaps no player better to get Green’s torch re-lit and carry it for the foreseeable future than Scottie Barnes. If he wasn’t getting enough attention for his defensive prowess last season because his Toronto Raptors were playing for ping pong balls, Barnes is turning heads with his team 22-15 and battling for home-court advantage in the playoffs.
“He could be a lot better than me,” Green told The Athletic three years ago. “I saw a tweet the other day that said, ‘Scottie Barnes’ floor is Draymond Green.’ And that’s a damn good floor. And I believe that. He’s such a special talent.”
Barnes still has some runway to becoming the fully actualized version of himself but we are getting our first glimpse at the version putting it all together. If you missed your chance to hop in the Barnes elevator when it was on the ground floor, there’s still time before he’s in the penthouse.
The 24-year-old has 55 blocks and 50 steals, leading the entire Association in stocks (steals + blocks). He feasts on protecting the rim and getting out in passing lanes, is as versatile a defender as there is in the league and has anchored the Raptors to a top-five defensive rating.
When Green says he believed his game was only a version of Barnes scratching the surface, it’s because the Raptors forward is more than a handy scorer, too. Barnes is scoring 19.1 points per game on career-best 58.5 percent true shooting while his playmaking – particularly when pushing off rebounds – has been tremendous, too.
Center Jakob Poeltl has been considered a key pillar in the Raptors’ defensive efforts since rejoining the team via trade in 2023. The manner in which Barnes has elevated his team on that end, despite Poeltl missing significant time and being a shell of himself when out there this season, speaks volumes of his impact.
While Barnes himself may not be concerned about how many votes he gets from fans for the All-Star Game, it would take a lot of ignorance to leave Barnes out of consideration for an All-Defensive First Team spot as things currently stand.
How Barnes Does It All For Raptors’ Defense
If the basket the Raptors are defending is the money in a bank vault, Barnes can shape shift among the role of security guard to the cameras overlooking the floor to the securely locked vault itself.
When a Raptors perimeter defender is pressuring the opposing ball-handler, Barnes identifies the right moment to trap said opponent, using his imposing 6-foot-10 frame and 7-foot-3 wingspan to make passing out of it seem impossible. He is selective about trapping. Barnes understands the element of surprise is a necessary component of trapping successfully.
“I think we do a great job of recognizing it [opportunities] and everyone being on the same page,” Barnes said after defeating the Golden State Warriors Dec. 28. “When it’s just random and it’s not scripted, everyone’s able to get up, deny, try to get a deflection, cause some turnovers.”
In the plays below, watch how he anticipates the perfect moment to help his teammates on drives and either force turnovers or difficult, off-balance shots.
Currently playing without Poeltl, Barnes wreaks havoc by toggling among the roles of big man, forward and guard depending on Toronto’s needs. He is third in the league in distance covered defensively behind Toumani Camara and Dyson Daniels. Barnes is seventh in deflections, all the more impressive when you consider every other player in the top 20 is primarily a guard. Daniels, Ryan Rollins, Cason Wallace, Ausar Thompson, Reed Sheppard and Kris Dunn are the six ahead of him.
“A big part of that is the work he’s putting in, dedication, studying the players, getting to know the league. It’s year five for him,” Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic said of Barnes’ defensive impact. “He’s continuing to improve in every single aspect.”
If Barnes holds his ground and stays patient, opponents will approach the rim with caution, often trying to goad him into committing just enough that a pass back out to the perimeter for an open shot becomes a viable option. Barnes’ awareness and long strides make him perfectly adept at seemingly teleporting from the rim to 3-point line to contest perimeter shots. If he is indeed challenged at the basket, he’s more than ready to send shots back.
There is a cheekiness, perhaps even an arrogance, to Barnes’ game he isn’t afraid to show off. On offense, it appears when he’s in transition and will take his sweet time before finishing, waiting to see if any defender would like to catch him. He might even blow a kiss before throwing it down. Defensively, it manifests in situations where he will pay absolutely no respect to non-shooters and even wave them off to add to the drama. Ironically, the most recent victim of this was Draymond Green.
When the Warriors visited Toronto in late December, Barnes repeatedly ignored Green on the perimeter and dared him to shoot the triple. The message was simple: your pass is more dangerous than a wide open shot. The ploy may have failed on an individual level as Green made four of his eight 3-point attempts — the second-most he’s attempted this season — but also served to take away from what the Warriors prefer to do in terms of scoring off movement. The Raptors won in overtime as Barnes finished with a monster 23-point, 25-rebound, 10-assist, four-stock performance.
In the play below, Green doesn’t want to concede, so even though Barnes is parked in the paint, Green attempts a lob to Quinten Post. Barnes easily picks it off and the Raptors head the other way. In the second clip below, watch how he stays attached to Goga Bitadze on the roll; when Paolo Banchero tries to find his teammate with a lob, Barnes is once again able to snatch it out of thin air and send the Raptors on the break.
Lobbed pass attempts on cuts, rolls or entry feeds are a no-fly zone when Barnes is around.
Also, notice across all the plays how regularly Barnes’ defensive actions directly lead to points for the Raptors the other way? That’s another reason what he’s doing on that end deserves special recognition. The consistency with which Barnes influences a stop on the defensive end, completes possessions with a defensive board (averaging a career-high 8.6 rebounds per game) and can lead the Raptors out on the break is a trait very few in the league offer.
Toronto leads the league in transition frequency. These plays Barnes makes look routine are a big reason why.
Raptors’ Success Opening Door For Greater Recognition
At this time a season ago, the Raptors were an abysmal 8-28. Now, they’re 22-15 and on pace for 49 wins. That would potentially mean a 19-win improvement from a season ago. While not at the level of the Detroit Pistons’ historic 30-win improvement from a season ago, it’s still a clear show of dramatic growth.
Coming into this season, there may have been questions about whether Barnes can lead a winning team and how impactful he can truly be in that environment. Both are being answered emphatically thus far.
Wembanyama is four games away from being ineligible for end-of-season awards. As a result, Chet Holmgren has emerged as the favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year for an Oklahoma City Thunder defense that has been a class above the rest this season. Rudy Gobert is a perennial candidate. Beyond that, it’s hard to make a case anyone has been better than Barnes. He’s currently fifth in Defensive Player of the Year odds.
Barnes winning the Eastern Conference Defensive Player of the Month for October/November shows his activity on that end is being recognized. If the Raptors keep winning, that end-of-season recognition he covets should be on its way, too.
