On November 6, Beijing time, the Raptors defeated the Cavaliers at home at 101:102. The team's rookie Barnes almost became the first player to complete the kill in the final moment of the rookie. Today Barnes felt average, with 14 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks on 7-of-19 shooting. Barnes had some problems today on the offensive end, but his all-round traits and excellent talent are still in front of the eyes of fans and friends. His future is definitely bright.
If you want to say that the NBA played the best rookie in the opening stage, Barnes must be on the list. Just by looking at the data, he is better than most of the league's rookies. Few rookies can average 18 points and 9 rebounds per game, and Barnes has shown great qualities in these games. As a rookie player, Barnes is very accomplished, especially in terms of offensive skills and awareness, and he is already better than many players of his age.
Barnes' approach to attacking is simple, and he follows the principles of simplicity and efficiency. Position warfare is mainly based on fixed point projection and incision, and when he counterattacks, he is as fast as the wind and is very good at ending. We might as well think of it from another angle, Barnes has not even shot 23% of the three-point shooting rate since the beginning of the game, but his shooting rate is more than 50%, ranking at the top of the Raptors. This relies on a strong ability to terminate.
Barnes' official height is only 2 meters, but he can average 9 rebounds per game, which is actually even more terrifying. Barnes' offensive rebounding and defensive rebounding protections are better than most of the league's forward players. This season, forward stars like Durant and James have not been able to grab so many rebounds. Barnes was able to grab a full three offensive rebounds per game, which was equivalent to creating three additional offensive opportunities for the team.
Barnes's offensive rebounds were even more fierce in this game, and he grabbed a total of 6 offensive rebounds throughout the game. The Cavaliers snatched a total of 11 offensive rebounds, Barnes and the Raptors faced the Cavaliers with three high inside lines, and in front of Mobley and Jarrett Allen, Barnes could grab 6 offensive rebounds. It's a perfect demonstration of his talent and motivation.
Some fans will ask that Barnes still has some flaws in the attack at this stage, such as unstable fixed-point shooting and mediocre ball-holding ability. But why do the Raptors still reuse him and give him a lot of playing time?
The Raptors have had a crush on Barnes from the moment they drafted. He's the guy the team needs, and the Raptors' style of play in recent seasons has been very distinct. Defensively they like to hoard tall and arm-length strikers. Fight for the outside to defend, force the opponent to make mistakes, and then play a counterattack. Barnes' trait is perfectly connected to the team's defensive style.
Barnes on the offensive end can be slowly cultivated, and the Raptors are the best at cultivating forwards. The previous DeRozan and the last two years siakam and Anunoby are all strikers who have slowly become excellent stars. Anunoby has averaged 20 points per game this season, and Both Anunoby and Siakam can't play close to 18+9 in their rookie seasons like Barnes. As we can see from the draft picks, Siakam and Anunoby can only be called first-round picks. Barnes is the No. 4 show, and becoming the No. 4 shows Barnes' strength and talent in such a big draft year this year.
There will always be some coincidence in the NBA, barnes's name is Scotty. In NBA history, the most famous Scotty must be the bull superstar, Scotty Pippen. In the 90s, Pippen and Jordan were the core combination of the Bulls, and Jordan was credited with winning 6 championships.
Now, there are still some commonalities between Barnes and Pippen, and the style of play between the two is so similar. Pippen is good at defending, and Barnes is also good at defending. Pippen is good at switching offense, and Barnes is also good at switching offense. Pippen can also handle a certain amount of ball rights, and the Raptors have given Barnes a lot of ball rights in these games to let him organize the team to attack. Barnes finished well.
Of course, Barnes is only a rookie at this stage, the turnover rate is not low, and there is still room for polishing passing and consciousness. But for a player who has played only 10 NBA games, we have plenty of reason to expect him to improve in the future.
We have to sigh at the Raptors' draft vision. In recent seasons, the Raptors' core players have basically been slowly cultivated through the draft. Now they may have found a young player with more talent and better prospects for development. Barnes' excellent performance in these 10 games will give fans a lot of expectations, what kind of player can he become in the future, can he become Scott Pippen in the 21st century? Dear readers, how do you rate Barnes' performance in this game?