Scottie Barnes received an All-NBA snub after not making the All-Defensive First Team despite strong two-way performance. One factor suggested is that voters may not watch the Toronto Raptors enough. Another factor is that Barnes’s playmaking is undervalued, especially his transition passing and ability to initiate offense. Barnes brings the ball up the court, grabs and goes in transition, and is described as an elite passer for his size. His assist totals rose to 474 this season, and he played more games while taking on point guard responsibilities when Immanuel Quickley missed time. Barnes led the Raptors in total assists and ranked eleventh league-wide.
"“Scottie Barnes brings the ball up the court all the time,” Vecenie said. “He grabs and goes in transition. He's an elite passer for somebody who's his size. That's the thing that I think gets missed, the passing and the playmaking. We're way undervaluing what the passing and playmaking is with Scottie Barnes because it's not always just the assists. It's the playmaking in transition.”"
"Scottie Barnes has always been a good playmaker for the Raptors. He finished each of his last three seasons with at least 363 total assists. That number shot up to 474 this season. He played more games than in previous seasons, hitting the 80-game mark for the first time, but was also asked to initiate a lot of the Raptors' offense, especially when Immanuel Quickley was sidelined with foot and hamstring issues."
"The Raptors would have been utterly lost without Barnes's ability to step into the point guard spot. It was a lot to ask from the same player who already anchors the team's defense and has to be an impactful scorer, but he rose to the challenge."
"Barnes led the Raptors in total assists and finished eleventh across the league behind Nikola Jokić, Cade Cunningham, Jalen Johnson, James Harden, Jamal Murray, Luka Doncic, LaMelo Ball, Jalen Brunson, Stephon Castle, and Josh Giddey. Most players in that group have one thing in common: they are guards, point guard"
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