Raptors Explain the Value Of Scottie Barnes’ Playing Time In Bench Units For the Long Run…
Let’s start with some facts. The Toronto Raptors have played 267 possessions this season in which Scottie Barnes is the only starter on the court. In those Barnes plus bench lineups, Toronto is getting outscored by 19.1 points per 100 possessions, according to Cleaning the Glass.
For comparison, the 2-25 Detroit Pistons have been outscored by 11.6 points per 100 possessions this year. To put it bluntly: Those lineups stink. In fairness, those one-starter lineups are not meant to be particularly successful. It’s usually pretty tough to win the minutes when a team puts its best players on the bench.
The goal normally is to buy some time for the starters to catch a breath and tread water for a few minutes. For years, Kyle Lowry was incredible at lifting one-starter lineups in Toronto, but most players can’t do it themselves, and even fewer are even put in that position in the first place.
And yet, Toronto has opted to throw Barnes into the fire this year almost on a nightly basis. “I think all of this that he’s growing through is a part of a bigger picture for him and his development,” Raptors coach Darko Rajaković told reporters earlier this week. “I think he’s embracing it really well and doing a really good job for such a young player and I think it really, really helps his development to go to the next level of players in this league.” That all makes sense.
The Raptors have opted to prioritize the long view with Barnes, force-feeding him touches as the primary facilitator in lineups alongside the bench. If he’s not going to be the lead creator when Pascal Siakam and Dennis Schröder are on the court, Toronto at least wants to give the third-year forward some opportunities where he’s forced to sink or swim in uncomfortable spots.
“He has such tools that I want to tap into all of those,” Rajaković added. “Him a handler, him as a roller, him running offense, initiating offense and making right decisions being a playmaker.”
But there’s been a price to giving Barnes those reps. The lack of success from those lineups is costing Toronto games and is not an insignificant reason the Raptors are sitting at 11-16 nearly a third of the way through the season. What’s clear, though, is Toronto has decided on the direction of this year.
Barnes’ development as a lead offensive creator is the primary focus for this season. Sure, winning games is nice, but winning at the expense of Barnes’ development is not a path the Raptors are interested in pursuing. Barnes is the future for Toronto and figuring out how to maximize his potential is all the Raptors need to be focused on moving forward.