Toronto Raptors wing Scottie Barnes — who was named an All-Star for the first time in his NBA career during the 2023-24 season — gave guidance to someone who mentioned wanting to find a girl.
“Bro, go outside — see, this what’s wrong with you,” Barnes said. “You say you need a girl. Bro, you not outside for real. Bro, it’s so simple, bro. You want a girl, bro? You need a girl, bro? Go find one at the mall. Go to the mall, walk around. … Go walk outside. … It’s like, alright, you see someone that you like. Go get their number, don’t be shy, have some confidence in yourself — simple.”
Barnes’ numbers during his third season in the pros present a solid case that he was Toronto’s best player, especially after the team traded Pascal Siakam to the Indiana Pacers ahead of the trade deadline. Barnes played in 60 of the Raptors’ 82 regular-season games and consistently stuffed the stat sheet.
He averaged 19.9 points per contest on 47.5 percent shooting from the field and 34.1 percent from deep along with 8.2 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.5 blocks per game.
Barnes improved on his 3-point shot quite a bit compared to his first two seasons in the NBA. He finished this season with career-highs in 3-point percentage as well as 3-point attempts per contest (4.9).
The 22-year-old also blocked shots at a much higher rate than he did as a rookie and sophomore. After averaging less than a block per game in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, he averaged a career-high 1.5 blocks per game this season. Keep in mind that Barnes isn’t the tallest player in the NBA by any means, as he stands at 6-foot-7.
Barnes’ rise to stardom during the 2023-24 season was one of very few positive takeaways from the Raptors’ campaign. Toronto won just 25 games all season — the fourth-fewest of any team in the Eastern Conference — and ended their 82-game slate on a four-game losing streak.
Plus, in the later stages of the regular season, Toronto lost 15 games in a row before finally snapping its lengthy streak against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Considering the Raptors have missed out on the playoffs in each of the last two seasons, it doesn’t appear likely that they will be contending for an NBA title anytime soon barring some major moves. But Toronto seemingly has a player that it can build around for the future in Barnes, the No. 4 overall pick of the 2021 NBA Draft.
