Raptors' Scottie Barnes' All-Star Hopes Rest on East Coaches
Scottie Barnes will not be an All-Star Game starter.
It’s not a surprise. He’s had a stellar season for the Toronto Raptors but there may not be a more talented position group in the NBA than the Eastern Conference frontcourt. Joel Embiid is the MVP frontrunner. Giannis Antetokounmpo is a two-time MVP. Then there’s Jayson Tatum, the best player on the NBA’s best team. It's a loaded group with Barnes somewhere among the next group of frontcourt players still on the come-up.
But an All-Star reserve spot for Toronto’s 22-year-old is far from a sure thing. While Barnes has bounced back from a disappointing sophomore season, averaging 20.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game this season, Toronto’s lack of team success may leave Barnes on the outside of the All-Star Game bubble looking in.
Consider the conference’s pool of talent: The frontcourt starters will be Embiid, Antetokounmpo, and Tatum who will be joined by Damian Lillard and Tyrese Haliburton in the backcourt. They’ll take up five of the East’s 12 spots with two backcourt spots, three frontcourt spots, and two wildcard spots remaining on the bench.
Donovan Mitchell, Jalen Brunson, and Tyrese Maxey are all locks to fill out the two backcourt spots and one of the wildcard spots. Then there’s Trae Young, averaging 26.9 points per game this year, whose lackluster Atlanta Hawks may prove problematic for him.
In the frontcourt, Jaylen Brown, Julius Randle, Paolo Banchero, Jimmy Butler, and Bam Adebayo all have had All-Star-worthy seasons on teams far more successful than Toronto. Between those five forwards, Young, and the aforementioned guard trio, that’s nine players for seven reserve spots.
The decision will come down to conference coaches who will pick the remaining for their respective conferences’ players ahead of the Feb. 1 announcement date.
“I always like to meet with the coaching staff and talk about it,” Raptors coach Darko Rajaković said. “We want to be fair. We want to take a look at different players around the league and how they affect their teams and winning and just be as objective as we can.”
Winning always plays a big part in the All-Star equation and for Barnes and the Raptors there just hasn’t been enough of it. Toronto is 12 games below .500 and the same boost the organization used to get when DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry used to get All-Star Game nods is now working against the Raptors.
This says nothing of Barnes as a player and what the future may hold for the 6-foot-7 do-it-all forward. He’s looked every bit like an All-Star and future All-NBA player this season. But until the wins start coming, the league honors may have to be put on hold.
Western Conference All-Stars
In the West, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander earned his first All-Star Game starter honors. He'll be joined in the backcourt by Luka Doncic and flanked by LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Nikola Jokic who earned starter honors in the frontcourt.
