Rockets Coach Shares Thoughts On Sophomore Development for Scottie Barnes and 2021 Class

Houston Rockets coach Stephen Silas discussed the sophomore development of Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes and the rest of his 2021 NBA Draft class

Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

Sophomore seasons can really be the worst. It's not so much the dreaded sophomore slump as it is the burden of expectations and superstar potential yet to be realized.

By now, there are no more surprises. Toronto Raptors sophomore Scottie Barnes isn't some offensive question mark and unknown rookie near the bottom of the opposing team's scouting report. Teams are game-planning for him as they are with Cleveland's Evan Mobley, Houston's Jalen Green, Detroit's Cade Cunningham, and the rest of the 2021 NBA Draft class.

None of the group has truly disappointed so far this season. Barnes' points are down a tick as is his offensive efficiency but he's developed as a playmaker this year. Green's points are up but at the expense of his efficiency too. Cunningham and Mobley have taken bigger steps but aren't blowing away the competition if that was ever the expectation. 

"For me, it's the understanding that Year 2 is so much different than Year 1. Year 1 is learning and figuring things out and whatnot, but it's your opponent's figuring things out against you," said Rockets head coach Steven Silas on Wednesday night. "It's an adjustment as they go through the start of the season. Then slowly but surely you see it as they grasp how they're being played differently."

That was the case for Barnes last season. He averaged 14.4 points on 47% shooting before the All-Star break then broke out in the second half, surpassing Mobley for the Rookie of the Year thanks to his 17.1 points per game over the second half of the season.

"It usually doesn't happen right away because they draw so much attention, because of the way that they played in Year 1," Silas continued. "They kind of make the adjustment in early to mid-year."

Barnes showed some progress Wednesday against Silas' Rockets, albeit in a relatively quiet game. He was once again attacking the paint and trying to create for himself, showing the kind of aggressiveness he's lacked at times this year. It wasn't always pretty, shooting just 6-for-16 from the floor, but he was taking the kind of shots Toronto has been looking for from him.

Now it's just a matter of continuing to adjust as he and the rest of his draft class steps into a bigger role with higher expectations. The development won't always be pretty, it never is, but with time the progress will come. Just give it time.

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