The Raptors have a franchise best offense

"Of all the changes, perhaps the simplest and easiest to have predicted is that Barnes is best alongside floor spacing. That makes sense. Virtually every NBA player is. But Barnes especially. He is an outrageously brilliant passer yet a limited driver who has trouble getting his hips past his primary defender. So extra space, with digs having to travel a few extra feet in order to attack his dribble, allows him both to catalyze his passing and his driving, in different ways."

"He has been scoring 45.9 points per 100 possessions with Mamukelashvili on the floor (net rating of plus-23.2) and 23.1 points per 100 possessions without him (net rating of negative-11.4). As a point of comparison, that scoring rate with Mamukelashvili is equivalent to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's overall rate so far this season, fourth in the league."

"The sets in which Barnes is seeing touches have changed dramatically. He's seeing far fewer static isolations and post-ups. He's finishing about half as many possessions as the pick-and-roll ballhandler. Meanwhile, he's finishing more than twice as many possessions as the pick-and-roll screener. (And, yes, he generally slips out of on-ball screens, which services himself as a scorer far more than it services his guards."

Scottie Barnes shows markedly better scoring and net rating when playing alongside a floor-spacing offensive big, most notably Sandro Mamukelashvili. With Mamukelashvili on the floor Barnes scores 45.9 points per 100 possessions (net +23.2) versus 23.1 per 100 without him (net -11.4). Barnes is an exceptionally creative passer but a limited driver, so additional space amplifies both his passing and driving. His usage has shifted away from static isolations and post-ups toward fewer pick-and-roll ballhandler finishes and many more finishes as the pick-and-roll screener, often slipping out of on-ball screens to score.

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