#scottie-barnes

#scottie-barnes

In addition, outside of Jakob Poeltl, who has been dealing with back spasms as well as an illness, no starter has played fewer minutes than Barnes, as he has consistently seen less time in the three games he has played in. When he has been on the court, he has looked visibly less burst-y and athletic than fans have become accustomed to seeing. His struggles have led to plenty of conversation, even on this site, about his role and mindset:

He is unquestionably a very strong defender, and he maintained his energy and tenacity in a lost season where he was tasked with a lot of on-ball responsibilities on offense. He is an elite rebounder, providing extra possessions on the offensive glass and closing out possessions on the other side (73rd & 94th percentile). He's a talented at rim finisher, especially when he's able to attack off the catch rather than his own dribble.

Darko's been really helpful. Obviously, I have a lot of high-level guys around me, so finding my niche isn't always easy. But everybody knows defence is what's going to get me on the floor. Being aggressive, confident, on both ends - that's what I'm focused on. They drafted me to be me, so that's the mindset I'm sticking with.