Raptors Talk Scottie Barnes' Defensive Development & Role Shift Since OG Anunoby Trade

The Toronto Raptors are asking Scottie Barnes to take on some of the NBA's toughest matchups as the next step in his defensive development

Scottie Barnes is ready for the challenge.

Since he entered the league in 2021, the Toronto Raptors wing has envisioned himself as an elite defensive stopper. His defense was seen as Barnes' one sure-thing trait coming into the draft. Even if all else failed, it was clear the Florida State product was clearly going to be special defensively.

But for so long, Barnes had the benefit of playing with OG Anunoby.

The Raptors didn’t need the 6-foot-7 Barnes to be the team’s premiere defensive stopper. When the NBA’s best came to town, it was Anunoby who took on the toughest matchup and did so at an All-Defense level.

For Barnes, that meant spending the better part of the last three years as more of an off-ball defender. He could defend secondary players, helping off his man, and using his size and speed to wreak havoc for opposing offenses. This year, in particular, Barnes has been special in that role. He’s one of just four players averaging at least 1.5 blocks and one steal per game this season alongside Joel Embiid, Anthony Davis, and Victor Wembanyama.

That, however, has totally changed recently.

With Anunoby in New York, Toronto has thrown Barnes into the fire defensively. He’s spent the past seven games taking on the who’s who of the NBA. First it was Donovan Mitchell, then Ja Morant and Desmond Bane, then De’Aaron Fox, followed by Steph Curry, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, and eventually Lauri Markkanen. That’s essentially an All-Star team of all-world scorers.

“For sure, I enjoy,” Barnes said following practice Sunday. “I like taking on a challenge, you know being locked in from the start. … But just being able to take that challenge every single day and just try to bring it on both ends. I think it's a mental challenge. You gotta bring it each and every game.”

It’s an exhausting challenge for Barnes who isn’t some tertiary offensive player either. He’s being asked to help carry Toronto’s offensive load while also taking on the admirable task of slowing the opposing team’s best players.

Long-term, this isn’t the spot Toronto is going to want Barnes to be playing defensively. Sure, if he develops into a truly elite stopper, the Raptors can always ask him to take on these kinds of defensive matchups in a playoff series, but asking your best offensive player also to be your best defensive player isn’t something teams regularly do. Even Kawhi Leonard wasn’t asked to carry that load in Toronto until the Raptors absolutely had to use him as the top guy defensively.

But for now, the Raptors are prioritizing growth.

“We’re putting him on the best players on the other side which is a hard job,” Raptors coach Darko Rajaković said. “But I think that's very, very healthy for his development as a competitor and he loves that. He loves that challenge.”

Losing Anunoby has certainly come at a cost for the Raptors who have seen their defense slip since he left town. They’d been the 21st-ranked defense through the first 39 games with Anunoby, surrendering 116.9 points per 100 possessions. That number has jumped to 124.7 since the new year as Toronto has fallen to the 28th-ranked defense in January.

It's clear Toronto needs to find a new defensive stopper to replace what Anunoby brought to the team. If the organization does go out and make a trade ahead of the Feb. 8 trade deadline, finding someone who can take the defensive load off Barnes should be top of mind for the Raptors.

In the meantime, though, Barnes is being asked to be the top dog defensively. He’s done an admirable job for Toronto so far and even if it’s been a little bumpy at times, the Raptors know he’ll be better for it in the long run.