Scottie Barnes landed at No. 14 on FanSided's 25-under-25 NBA Player Rankings this season, ranking the best young players in the NBA. Check out the rest of the list here.
Describing Scottie Barnes as an anomaly might sound strange at first. Jayson Tatum popularized the nickname "The Anomaly" last season. Aditmitley, Barnes is far from the only jumbo-sized do-it-all forward. In fact, Franz Wagner and Jalen Johnson have fairly similar playstyles to Barnes, and both players are ranked above the Toronto Raptors forward on our 25-under-25 list.
However, it's not just his playstyle that makes Barnes an anomaly; it's his career path and how challenging it is to properly rank him. Barnes is one of four players from the 2021 draft class to make an All-Star team. But after somewhat of a down year, the 24-year-old is seemingly being forgotten by some, despite being one of the most talented young stars.
Scottie Barnes' wonky career path
As a rookie, Barnes was a key part of a Raptors team that was the No. 5 seed. Barnes, somewhat surprisingly, won Rookie of the Year, averaging 15.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.8 stocks. Many were expecting Barnes to take another massive leap in his second season; however, his raw counting stats remained pretty much the same (15.3/6.6/4.8/1.9), and his effective field goal percentage fell to 48.7.
Barnes followed this up with a bounce-back year, earning All-Star honors in 2023-24, posting averages of 19.9/8.2/6.1/2.8 and shooting a career 52.8 effective field goal percentage while netting 34.2 percent of his 3-pointers. Much like his second season, though, Barnes largely remained the same after a promising season, and his 3-point shooting plummeted to a career low 27.1 percent.
Unlike many players within this range, development hasn't been linear for Barnes. The Florida State product notably dipped from No. 8 on our rankings last year to No. 14 this year. Given this, it's fair to wonder what we can expect from Barnes this year, especially with a new running mate in Brandon Ingram.
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Barnes faces a crucial fifth season
Barnes is the Raptors' best all-around player in my eyes. Still, Ingram is likely to serve as the team's go-to scorer. In some ways, Barnes' playmaking and defense fit nicely with Ingram's high-level scoring. At the same time, the Raptors' starting lineup lacks 3-point shooting and has four ball-dominant players. This doesn't exactly maximize Barnes' skill set, but it's possible he can overcome this less-than-ideal fit.
The Raptors hope to return to the playoffs, and much of their success will be determined by how far Scottie can propel this coach.
Offensively, the question will always be, can Barnes develop as a 3-point shooter? The 2023-24 season offers some hope in this area for Barnes as he netted 38.5 percent of his catch-and-shoot 3-point attempts. Nevertheless, last year's 27.6 percent shooting and catch-and-shoot 3s are a red flag. It's worth noting, though, that Barnes' volume decreased from 3.9 to 2.8 catch-and-shoot 3s. At the same time, Barnes shot more pull 3s, an area in which he has never been efficient.
Barnes' ceiling might be as an average-ish 3-point shooter. However, he could get there by taking more spot-up looks and fewer pull-ups. Even if he's not a good shooter, the rest of Barnes' game will always allow him to make a positive impact.
The 6-foot-9 forward is a high-level finisher with guard-like playmaking. Impressively, per Cleaning the Glass, Barnes ranked in the 93rd percentile for assist-to-usage ratio last year. Perhaps his elite playmaking will help make this wonky Raptors' offense work.
Undoubtedly, Barnes is one of the most underrated defenders in the league and is one of the few players truly capable of guarding all positions. Barnes held opponents to 56.2 percent from within six feet of the hoop and spent 34.9 percent of his time defending opposing guards. Furthermore, Barnes ranked in the 86th percentile for points allowed per possession. His ability to contain all positions makes Barnes a truly special defender.
Barnes pairs his elite on-ball defense with impressive defensive playmaking. He has averaged 2.2 stocks per game for his career and ranked in the 90th percentile for block percentage last season.
Scottie Barnes, 24-25 defensive playmaking tape pic.twitter.com/CXXZZHn2gV
— BKS Sports (@BKSecretsports) June 24, 2025
Ultimately, regardless of Barnes' limitations as a shooter, his impact as a finisher, defender, and playmaker will make him a high-level secondary star. It's possible, though, that Barnes grows offensively and is the best player on a Raptors team that makes the playoffs. Next year will be Barnes' final one on our 25-under-25 list, and it's possible that it will be his highest ranking ever.