Who will emerge as the Raptors' top offensive option? What are reasonable expectations to have of Scottie Barnes? Our basketball experts, donnovanbennett, michaelgrange, loung_s, william_lou, BlakeMurphyODC and Eric__Smith weigh in:
It depends how you define top offensive option. If it means the player who will control the most possessions, that will be Fred VanVleet. If it’s the player who takes the most difficult shots, then it’s likely OG Anunoby.
His ability to make plays in transition and as a distributor in the half-court along with his on-ball potential on defence make him a lock for plenty of playing time, an all-rookie selection, and a very good chance at Rookie of the Year.Barnes should play no less than 25 minutes per game, make at least a dozen starts, and be one of the top defenders in the league.
With that is going to come some frustration as he learns on the fly. Development isn’t linear, and Barnes’ scoring package, in particular, is going to take some time. The bar I’ll be measuring Barnes by is whether you’re comfortable with him on the court late in games by the playoffs, and not comfortable in a “he needs the reps!” sense but a genuine, “you can’t not have one of your five best players on the court” sense.I think the sky's the limit.
Pascal Siakam. He’s their highest paid player. He’s their only all-star. He’s been the third best player on a championship team in impressive fashion. The team’s future depends on the assessment of if he can be the best player on a championship team one day. That answer will dictate what the roster-building scenarios become moving forward.
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