Raptors Excited About Scottie Barnes' Offseason As a Bigger Role Awaits

The Toronto Raptors say Scottie Barnes looks much improved after a disappointing sophomore season and are ready to let him take on a bigger offensive role

The Toronto Raptors sent a clear message to Scottie Barnes when last season came to an end. His sophomore season hadn’t been good enough.

“He’s got to get a lot of time in the gym,” Raptors president Masai Ujiri said of Barnes when last season came to an end.

It was a message that had been delivered before to Barnes behind the scenes throughout the year as well. On the heels of his Rookie of the Year campaign, Barnes hadn’t worked as hard as the organization thought he could have.

To some extent, Barnes agreed. He admitted following last season that his conditioning could have been better throughout last season and he expected more out of himself.

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Barnes said he’s gained nine pounds of muscle and is up to 240 pounds for the first time in his life. He feels great, he said, and is excited for a big season.

“I think one thing I've probably worked on more this summer is to try and do more running, I feel like, conditioning-wise,” Barnes said Monday. “I did a lot of full court running, off the floor, trying to go outside and run, running after workouts, it was just more running want running as far as the main difference.”

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For what it’s worth, the Raptors say they’ve seen a difference in Barnes’ workouts. Ujiri, who was critical of Barnes last season, said Barnes worked “incredibly hard” over the offseason and “has shown the commitment that he wants to get better.” The 6-foot-9 forward has worked on his left hand, too, a big area of development for the 22-year-old who expects to see the ball in his hands more often this season following the departure of Fred VanVleet.

But you’re entitled to some degree of skepticism when it comes to Media Day excitement. It’s easy to say you’re in the best shape of your life but the truth in that development will be seen soon enough.

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It shouldn’t take long before the Raptors get an answer about Barnes’ offseason training. Toronto plans to run the offense through Barnes far more than the team did last year. While new head coach Darko Rajakvović wouldn’t commit to starting Barnes as the team’s primary point guard, he certainly sees merit to the idea.

“I think that there is a lot of advantages there,” Rajaković said. “He's a willing passer. So, when you put him in pick and rolls, he can see the court really well.

“As far as his downhill attacks, there are a couple of things that he can definitely do better. We've been working on those during the summer.”

The Raptors are counting on the fruits of that labor paying off this season. If Barnes takes a step forward this season, the dark cloud looming over this organization will fade, and the path forward will become clear. Fairly or unfairly, Barnes is carrying a lot into this season. It’s a prove-it year: Is he the Rookie of the Year with superstar potential or is his ceiling capped closer to a valuable high-end rotation player? The answer to that will dictate the direction this organization heads.