30 in 30: Can Scottie Barnes lift the Toronto Raptors to contender status?

The rise of Scottie Barnes

Coming off a sensational rookie season, in which he averaged 15 points, eight rebounds, and four assists en route to winning the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award, Scottie Barnes has only scratched the surface of the player that he can be at the NBA level. And that should have Raptors fans champing at the bit heading into this season.

The next theoretical step for Barnes is stardom. And if he can get there, especially on the offensive end, the Raptors’ ceiling will be raised even higher heading into the season. In a vacuum, the Raptors should be in the running to finish as the 4th or 5th seed in the Eastern Conference.

Although, if Barnes can hit the next level in his game, it changes everything for the Raptors. That’s how talented their roster is and how high of a ceiling Barnes has individually. That’s essentially what the Raptors told the Brooklyn Nets this offseason: Why do we need Kevin Durant when we have Scottie Barnes?

Question is, can he live up to that billing?