Scottie Barnes Wants All-Defense Honors this Season: Can He Do It?

The Toronto Raptors know Scottie Barnes has all the tools to be an elite defender but winning will be the most important factor in his All-Defense campaign

Aaron Rose | Oct 18, 2022

Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

Scottie Barnes set a goal for himself coming into last season. From Day 1 he made it clear he wanted to win the Rookie of the Year award and, nine months after the Toronto Raptors made him the No. 4 selection in the 2021 NBA Draft, the 21-year-old accomplished his dream, hoisting the award in front of a packed Scotiabank Arena.

This year, Barnes has set a new goal for himself: Make an All-Defense team.

"I feel like that’s what I do best," Barnes said of his goal. "That’s one thing I always pride myself on, trying to guard. That’s my goal."

If last year's goal seemed lofty, this one will be even tougher to reach. For one, Toronto's defensive style is so team-oriented that it'll be difficult for any specific player to earn the kind of defensive recognition necessary to receive the honor. It's part of the reason O.G. Anunoby and Fred VanVleet have never earned All-Defensive honors despite their reputation as two of the best defensive players at their position.

Secondly, it's rare for a second-year player to have built up the kind of respect with voters to receive All-Defensive honors. In the past decade, only three sophomore players have ever made an All-Defensive team: Matisse Thybulle, Dejounte Murray, and Patrick Beverley.

But is it doable?

"I don’t see why he couldn’t make it," said Raptors coach Nick Nurse.

“He’s a good defender. He’s a really good defender. ... He can go out and pressure the ball full court at his size. ... He can guard every... position because of his size, so that makes him a switch candidate. It makes him an inside player. It makes him a wing defender. It gives us a chance to switch if he’s guarding the screener in the screen-and-roll. It does all kinds of things. He’s a really good defender. ”

To do so, Barnes is going to have to cut down on the mistakes and stay more focused this season. For all the impressive plays he had last year, there were plenty of rookie mistakes from the 6-foot-8 forward who looked a little out of sorts at times early last season. This year, the expectations are higher and he's going to have to bring that defensive intensity every single night.

"Scottie is an amazing basketball player and I don’t even think he knows it. He’s so young and he’s just scratching the surface," said Thad Young. "He doesn’t try to do anything out of the ordinary. Yeah, sometimes he might do something but for the most part, he’s playing under control, he’s always playing the way he needs to play in order to make us a better team."

Making the Raptors better will be the second component of Barnes' All-Defense campaign. Of the 10 players who earned All-Defense honors last season, only Rudy Gobert played on a team that won fewer than 50 games. In the NBA, awards are more often than not based on team record and Barnes knows it.

"Just really bring it every single game, can’t take a game off," Barnes said. "I feel like our team success is gonna help with that. So just try to do those little things – get blocked shots, try to lock down, get steals, do those little things, and really lock in every single game."

Toronto is going to challenge Barnes this season. Like last year, he'll see matchups of every shape, speed, and size. One night, he'll be on the James Harden assignment, trying to slow one of the craftiest players in the league. The next, he may see Bam Adebayo or Evan Mobley, two of the most skilled young bigs in the NBA. If he can slow them, the respect will come from his teammates, the league, and the media alike.

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