Scott Wayne Barnes Jr. (born August 1, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Florida State Seminoles, earning third-team all-conference honors in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) as a freshman in 2021 and was selected with the fourth overall pick by the Raptors in the 2021 NBA draft. Barnes was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2022. In 2024, Barnes was named to the 2024 NBA All-Star Game, which was his first All-Star appearance.

Scottie Barnes
Barnes with the Toronto Raptors in 2021
No. 4 – Toronto Raptors
PositionSmall forward / Shooting guard
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (2001-08-01) August 1, 2001 (age 23)
West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight237 lb (108 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeFlorida State (2020–2021)
NBA draft2021: 1st round, 4th overall pick
Selected by the Toronto Raptors
Playing career2021–present
Career history
2021–presentToronto Raptors
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing the  United States
FIBA Under-19 World Cup
Gold medal – first place 2019 Greece Team
FIBA Under-17 World Cup
Gold medal – first place 2018 Argentina Team
FIBA Americas U16 Championship
Gold medal – first place 2017 Argentina Team

High school career

As a freshman, Barnes played basketball for Cardinal Newman High School in West Palm Beach, Florida. He earned All-Area second team and MaxPreps Freshman All-American honors after leading Newman to a 19–8 record and the 5A regional semifinals.[1] After the season, Barnes transferred to NSU University School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he was teammates with Vernon Carey Jr., the nation's highest-ranked junior.[2]

As a sophomore, he helped his team to a 36–2 record and its first-ever Class 5A state title.[3] Barnes led University School to a City of Palms Classic championship and was named tournament most valuable player (MVP) after posting 15 points and eight rebounds in the final versus top-ranked East High School.[4] At GEICO Nationals, he averaged 21.3 points and 9.7 rebounds per game as University School finished as runners-up.[5] In his junior season, Barnes averaged 13.1 points, seven rebounds and 4.8 assists per game, leading his team to a 27–5 record and a second straight 5A state title, despite Carey being sidelined for the championship game.[6] The team included freshmen Taylor Hendricks and Jett Howard.[7]

On August 5, 2019, he announced that he was moving to Montverde Academy in Montverde, Florida, joining top recruits Cade Cunningham and Day'Ron Sharpe, for his senior season.[8] Many analysts regarded his team as one of the greatest in high school basketball history.[9] Barnes averaged 11.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game, helping Montverde to a 25–0 record with an average margin of victory of 39 points.[10][11] He received All-American first team honors from MaxPreps and Sports Illustrated.[11][12] Barnes was selected to play in the McDonald's All-American Game, Jordan Brand Classic and Nike Hoop Summit, but all three games were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[13]

Recruiting

A consensus five-star recruit, Barnes was considered the fourth-best player in the 2020 recruiting class by ESPN. He was the highest ranked power forward in his class by ESPN and Rivals.[14] On October 14, 2019, Barnes announced his commitment to play college basketball for Florida State over offers from Kentucky, Miami (Florida) and Oregon, among others.[15]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Scottie Barnes
G / F
West Palm Beach, FL Montverde Academy (FL) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 240 lb (110 kg) Oct 14, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 96
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 7  247Sports: 9  ESPN: 5
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Florida State 2020 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  • "2020 Florida State Seminoles Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  • "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 31, 2020.

College career

 
Barnes with the Seminoles in 2020

On March 13, 2021, Barnes scored a career-high 21 points in an 80–75 loss to Georgia Tech at the ACC tournament championship.[16] As a freshman, he averaged 10.3 points, 4.1 assists, 4 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game, earning ACC Freshman of the Year, ACC Sixth Man of the Year and third-team All-ACC honors. On April 9, he declared for the 2021 NBA draft, forgoing his remaining college eligibility.[17]

Professional career

Toronto Raptors (2021–present)

Barnes was selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft by the Toronto Raptors.[18] The selection was a surprise to many as the consensus was the Raptors would select Gonzaga point guard Jalen Suggs.[19] On August 8, 2021, he signed a contract with the Raptors.[20] On October 20, Barnes made his NBA debut, putting up 12 points, nine rebounds, and one assist in a 98–83 loss to the Washington Wizards.[21] On October 22, he put up his first career double-double with 25 points and 13 rebounds in a 115–83 win over the Boston Celtics.[22] On January 21, 2022, Barnes recorded a then career-high 27 points, along with eight rebounds, in a 109–105 win over the Washington Wizards.[23] On February 25, he put up a then career-high 28 points, along with five rebounds and two steals, in a 125–93 loss to the Charlotte Hornets.[24] On February 28, Barnes tied a then career-high 28 points in a 133–97 win over the Brooklyn Nets.[25] On March 3, he was named the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for February.[26] On March 18, Barnes put up a then career-high 31 points with 17 rebounds in a 128–123 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.[27]

Starting all the 74 games he played, Barnes finished the season averaging 15.3 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.1 steals, and .7 blocks per game, while shooting .492, .301, and .735 from the field, the three-point line, and on free throws, respectively, on 35.4 minutes per game. Among rookies, he had the best win shares (6.6) and value over replacement player (1.9). In addition, he was the only rookie to rank in the top five in total points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks, and led the Raptors to No. 5 in the Eastern Conference for a direct playoff spot.[28] On April 23, Barnes was named the 2021–22 NBA Rookie of the Year.[29] His 15-point difference over the runner-up, Evan Mobley, was the smallest voting margin in 19 years since the current voting format began in 2002–03.[29] Barnes became the first Raptor to win the award in 23 years since Vince Carter won it in 1999, and the third ever Raptor to win the award along with Carter, and Damon Stoudamire.[30]

On November 4, 2022, Barnes achieved his first career triple-double with 11 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 111–110 loss to the Dallas Mavericks.[31] On March 10, 2023, Barnes put up a career-high 32 points in a 122–112 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.[32]

On February 6, 2024, Adam Silver, the NBA Commissioner, named Barnes as an injury replacement player for the 2024 NBA All-Star Game following injuries to Julius Randle and Joel Embiid. Barnes appeared in the NBA All-Star Game for the first time in his NBA career, he scored 16 points, collected 8 rebounds and dished out 3 assists.[33]

On July 8, 2024, Barnes officially signed an $225 million, 5 year contract extension to remain with the Raptors, and could be up to $270 million if he meets the requirements for a supermax. The contract extension for Barnes would officially begin in the 2025-2026 season after his first contract expires, and would run until the 2029-2030 NBA season. With the extension, Barnes became the highest paid player in franchise history.[34]

National team career

Barnes won a gold medal with the United States at the 2017 FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship in Formosa, Argentina after averaging 9.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game.[35] In a semifinal win over Argentina, he led all scorers with 20 points and six steals while breaking the American under-16 record for free throw percentage by shooting 8-of-8 from the free throw line.[36] At the 2018 FIBA Under-17 World Cup in Argentina, Barnes averaged 9.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game and captured another gold medal. He averaged 9.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game at the 2019 FIBA Under-19 World Cup in Heraklion, Greece, where he won his third gold medal with the United States.[37]

Personal life

Barnes' father is Jamaican and many of his relatives are Canadian.[38]

Player profile

Standing at 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m),[39] with a wingspan of 7 ft 3 in (2.21 m),[citation needed] he is capable of guarding multiple positions due to his length. Although listed as a forward, he played the guard position in college and Toronto has seized on his playmaking ability by using him as a secondary ball handler.[40] Barnes' biggest weakness is his 3-point shooting, as he shot below 30% from three (27.5%) in college and below 30% from three (29.0%) for his career NBA stats.

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

NBA

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2021–22 Toronto 74 74 35.4 .492 .301 .735 7.5 3.5 1.1 .7 15.3
2022–23 Toronto 77 76 34.8 .456 .281 .772 6.7 4.8 1.1 .8 15.3
2023–24 Toronto 60 60 34.9 .475 .341 .781 8.2 6.1 1.3 1.5 19.9
Career 211 210 35.0 .474 .311 .764 7.4 4.7 1.1 1.0 16.6
All-Star 1 0 17.7 .700 .400 8.0 3.0 1.0 .0 16.0

Play-in

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2023 Toronto 1 1 40.5 .538 .500 .571 10.0 2.0 2.0 1.0 19.0
Career 1 1 40.5 .538 .500 .571 10.0 2.0 2.0 1.0 19.0

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2022 Toronto 4 3 33.3 .429 .167 .813 9.0 4.3 1.0 .3 12.8
Career 4 3 33.3 .429 .167 .813 9.0 4.3 1.0 .3 12.8

College

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2020–21 Florida State 24 7 24.8 .503 .275 .621 4.0 4.1 1.5 .5 10.3

References

  1. ^ Wagner, Jodie (August 30, 2017). "Cardinal Newman F Scottie Barnes transfers to University School". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  2. ^ Dusenbury, Wells (August 29, 2017). "Top sophomore prospect Scottie Barnes transfers from Newman to University". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  3. ^ Furones, David (March 8, 2018). "University School captures first state basketball title in dominant fashion". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  4. ^ Lammer, Pat (December 23, 2017). "University School upends No. 1 Memphis East in City of Palms final". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  5. ^ Jordan, Jason (May 26, 2018). "Nike EYBL: Five-star forward Scottie Barnes still motivated by GEICO National title loss". USA Today high School Sports. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  6. ^ Lichtenstein, Adam (March 7, 2019). "University School — again with Carey sidelined — rolls to its second straight Class 5A state title". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  7. ^ "Class 5A Final: University 72, Andrew Jackson 46". The Ledger. March 16, 2019. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  8. ^ Jordan, Jason (August 5, 2019). "Chosen 25 forward Scottie Barnes will transfer to Montverde". USA Today. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  9. ^ O'Donnell, Ricky (January 21, 2020). "Why Montverde is being called the best high school basketball team ever". SB Nation. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  10. ^ Divens, Jordan (March 25, 2020). "MaxPreps 2019-20 High School Boys Basketball Player of the Year: Cade Cunningham". MaxPreps. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  11. ^ a b Divens, Jordan (March 25, 2020). "MaxPreps 2019-20 High School Boys Basketball All-American Team". MaxPreps. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  12. ^ Visser, David (April 3, 2020). "FSU Basketball Signee Scottie Barnes Reacts to Being a First-Team Sports Illustrated All-American, with Video". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  13. ^ Jordan, Jason (March 12, 2019). "McDonald's All American Game Cancelled Amid COVID-19 Concerns". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  14. ^ Reed, Tashan (January 7, 2020). "'To me, he's a no-brainer, high-lottery pick': Scottie Barnes will arrive at Florida State amid a ton of hype". The Athletic. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  15. ^ Borzello, Jeff (October 14, 2019). "5-star recruit Scottie Barnes commits to Florida State". ESPN. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  16. ^ "Devoe, Georgia Tech beat No. 15 FSU 80-75 for ACC title". ESPN. Associated Press. March 13, 2021. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
  17. ^ Staley, Antwan (April 9, 2021). "Florida State freshman Scottie Barnes declares for 2021 NBA Draft". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
  18. ^ Wright, Shayne (July 30, 2021). "West Palm Beach native Scottie Barnes picked 4th overall in NBA Draft". WPBF.com. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  19. ^ "Raptors shock NBA world, opt for Scottie Barnes, pass on Jalen Suggs". torontosun. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  20. ^ Toronto Raptors [@Raptors] (August 8, 2021). "First of many to come. Congrats, @ScottBarnes561! #WeTheNorth" (Tweet). Retrieved August 14, 2021 – via Twitter.
  21. ^ Loung, Steven (October 20, 2021). "Scottie Barnes' Raptors debut provides enticing base to build upon". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  22. ^ Rose, Aaron (October 22, 2021). "Scottie Barnes Shows Out as Raptors Outwork Celtics". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  23. ^ Howe, Joshua (January 21, 2022). "Raptors react to Scottie Barnes' career-high 27 points vs. Wizards". ClutchPoints.com. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  24. ^ Guinhawa, Angelo (February 25, 2022). "Scottie Barnes reacts to setting career-high in Raptors' blowout loss vs. Hornets". ClutchPoints.com. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  25. ^ Penner, Brad (February 28, 2022). "Scottie Barnes Shows a Glimpse of the Future & Other Takeaways from Raptors Blowout Victory over Nets". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  26. ^ "Raptors' Scottie Barnes named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month". Sportsnet.ca. March 3, 2022. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
  27. ^ Rose, Aaron (March 18, 2022). "LeBron James Too Much for Raptors, Snapping Toronto's Winning Streak in Overtime Thriller". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  28. ^ Buckley, Zach (April 14, 2022). "Grading Every 2022 NBA Team's Rookie Class". BleacherReport.com. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  29. ^ a b "Toronto's Scottie Barnes wins 2021-22 Kia Rookie of the Year award". NBA.com. April 23, 2022. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  30. ^ Zeglinski, Robert (April 25, 2022). "Vince Carter had a heartfelt message for the Raptors' Scottie Barnes after he won Rookie of the Year". USA TODAY. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  31. ^ "Raptors' Scottie Barnes: Triple-double despite loss". CBS Sports. RotoWire Staff. November 5, 2022. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  32. ^ "Scottie Barnes has career-high 32 but Raptors lose to Lakers". sportsnet.ca. Associated Press. March 10, 2023. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
  33. ^ "Trae Young, Scottie Barnes named injury replacements for Eastern Conference". NBA.com. February 6, 2024. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  34. ^ "Raptors' Scottie Barnes signs max extension with team". NBA.com. July 8, 2024. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  35. ^ Wagner, Jodie (June 28, 2017). "Newman's Scottie Barnes basks in golden moment with USA Basketball". The Palm Beach Post. Archived from the original on August 15, 2021. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  36. ^ Benjamin, Daniel (June 18, 2017). "FIBA Americas Championship: 2020 prospect Scottie Barnes sets U16 free throw record". Busting Brackets. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  37. ^ Boone, Kyle (July 7, 2019). "USA U19 men's basketball team defeats Mali in World Cup final to win gold medal". CBS Sports. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  38. ^ "Raptors pick Florida State forward Scottie Barnes 4th overall in NBA draft". CBC.ca. July 29, 2021. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  39. ^ "Scottie Barnes". NBA.com. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
  40. ^ "Toronto Rolled The Dice On Scottie Barnes. It's Paid Off". FiveThirtyEight. January 11, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2022.