Raptors Discuss The Next Step in Scottie Barnes' Offensive Package

The Toronto Raptors are seeing Scottie Barnes develop his mid-range game this preseason as he tries to take the next step into real superstardom

Oct 15, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (4) celebrates scoring against the Boston Celtics during the first half at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images / Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images

Scottie Barnes stood at the top of the arc dribbling back and forth as he sized up Jaylen Brown.

The Toronto Raptors all-star took one small step to his right, forcing Brown to slide in that direction. When the Boston Celtics forward moved, Barnes began downhill, using that split second of separation to get Brown retreating off-balance.

Barnes took two powerful dribbles toward the hoop as if he planned to take off into a forceful dunk. Except this time, Barnes used his right arm to create a little more separation from Brown, before stopping and rising up for an 11-foot jumper.

Modern NBA principles would say that’s not a very good shot.

Across the league last season, teams shot 43% on non-restricted areas two-pointers. Even the league’s best players rarely converted those shots at an efficient rate.

For Barnes, in particular, anything outside the restricted area hasn't been an efficient shot. He converted just 39.2% on two-pointers outside the restricted area, and for years now, Toronto has been begging its 6-foot-8, 236-pound face-of-the-franchise to use his strength to bully his way into the paint.

Stop settling for mid-range jumpers, former Raptors coach Nick Nurse used to tell Barnes over and over again.

But this preseason, Barnes is starting to get it.

Through three games, he’s shooting 12-for-18 on two-pointers outside the restricted area and is using his still-developing jumper as a weapon to keep opposing defenses honest.

“For him, it's now recognizing when that shot makes sense and when that shot does not make sense,” Raptors coach Darko Rajaković said Wednesday following practice.

It’s a balancing act Barnes hasn’t always had a strong grasp of. Ideally, those shots are more of a last resort for Toronto’s offense. If the first and second actions haven’t worked, then it’s Barnes’ opportunity to create something out of nothing. That’s typically how it goes for the league’s superstars who have a knack for turning bad situations into relatively good looks.

“If you want to develop an all-star level player, he needs to become a three-level scorer. He needs to be able to be at the rim, shooting threes, but also playing in that mid-range,” Rajaković said. “He cannot just fall in love with that and becomes like part of the offense that makes our offense stagnant. But also, when we need a bucket and we need to put the ball in his hands, him being able to get to those sweet spots and knock down shots.”

Barnes is comfortable taking those shots, he said Wednesday. It’s just about knowing when to take them as opposed to getting all the way to the hoop or passing out of those opportunities.

“As long as I'm playing with force and trying to get downhill, not settling, doing the three, four, five dribble combo moves, and then just pulling up,” he said. “Whenever I'm playing with force, and they take away that one option and being able to get to that, I feel like that's the right time.”

That’ll be the key for Barnes this season.

If he’s dribbling in isolation opportunities and not running the offense, the Raptors are going to have the same problem they’ve always had with Barnes taking those shots. But if all else fails and Barnes finds himself with the ball in his hands, converting those superstar-types of looks at a higher level is what’ll take Barnes into the next stage of his development.