Basketball

By picking Scottie Barnes, the Raptors are prioritizing the future over the present


Maybe the Raptors are going for an “Arms Across Canada” vibe. Maybe, given NBA basketball disappeared from Toronto once the COVID-19 pandemic stopped North America in its tracks in March 2020, the Raptors just want to give the city a nice, big hug, not risking the inability to envelop us all.

If Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby and Scottie Barnes made a circle, just grazing one another’s fingertips, they could enclose a whole lot of space. Barnes, who the Raptors selected in a modest surprise with the fourth-overall pick in Thursday night’s NBA Draft, has a 7-foot-3 wingspan. (For kicks, the Raptors doubled down on this, drafting 6-foot-9 Torontonian guard Dalano Banton and David Johnson, a 6-5 guard with a 6-10 wingspan, with consecutive picks in the middle of the second round.) Barnes’ passing is more developed than his two new, experienced teammates, but broadly speaking, he’s a similar prospect to the Raptors starting forwards — a potentially positionless defender who will be limited offensively to start, especially where his shooting is concerned.

The Raptors, indeed, are drafting ‘em and stacking ‘em.

“I don’t back down from nobody,” said Barnes, who will turn 20 on Sunday.





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