It's obvious to anyone who has watched the Raptors how valuable Scottie Barnes has been this season. Still, it might surprise some to hear that he has graded out as a top-15 player in terms of his on-court impact.
Box Plus-Minus (BPM) rates Barnes as the No. 10 player in the league, right ahead of Jayson Tatum and Donovan Mitchell. Estimated Plus-Minus (EPM), one of the most well-regarded all-in-one metrics, has Barnes as the No. 12 player in the league.
It's still early enough in the season that these numbers aren't very stable, but they do reflect that Barnes has been terrific thus far. His basic box score stats of 19.6 points, 9.1 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game only reflect a small fraction of how good he's been.
What the impact stats are spelling out is that along with producing at a terrific individual level, Barnes has been making his teammates better. Here are some of the less obvious ways in which he has become a winning player.
MORE: Examining the complicated fit between Scottie Barnes and Pascal Siakam
Why advanced stats love Scottie Barnes
Scottie Barnes is creating better looks for his teammates on offense
Barnes has graded out as a solid offensive player by the advanced stats. EPM has him as the No. 47 player in terms of offensive impact, slightly above the likes of James Harden and Mikal Bridges.
Barnes has been working inside of a shoebox because of the lack of shooting threats beside him, yet he's been one of the best players at creating high-value assists. Per PBP Stats, he is 13th in the league in assists leading to 3-pointers and 11th in assists at the rim. He's been great at making laser-quick decisions with his passing.
Just watched all of Scottie Barnes' assists this season. Such a fun passer, has great recognition of where his teammates are at all times. pic.twitter.com/qCPXC6zRkW
— Steph Noh (@StephNoh) November 22, 2023
Barnes is also spacing the floor well for teammates when he doesn't have the ball. He's cooled down a bit from 3 since his torrid start to the season, but he's still at a very solid 38.2 percent for the year. He's one of the few Raptors who will burn teams when they help off him at the nail. When defenders stay at home on him, that opens up the lane for teammates like Dennis Schroder to get downhill.
These benefits aren't always easy to notice, particularly given how bad the Raptors' halfcourt offense has been. But he has been making the most of a less-than-ideal fit and is showing signs of how great a team with better shooting could be around him.
Scottie Barnes has been one of the most impactful defenders in the league
Impact stats paint Barnes as the best of the best on the defensive end of the floor. He's the No. 4 defender in EPM. Watching his film, it's easy to see why.
Barnes has been a terrific one-on-one defender against some of the best wings in the league. His ability to help, recover and shut down stars like Jayson Tatum and Zach LaVine is truly special.
Scottie Barnes should get some serious All-Defensive consideration this year. pic.twitter.com/LURS0CT5Me
— Steph Noh (@StephNoh) November 25, 2023
He's also been a strong help defender, particularly as a weak side rim protector. He's been deterring a ton of layup attempts and regularly bailing teammates out when they get beat on drives.
Barnes is a great rebounder, better even than his 9.1 rebounds per game suggests. While other guys are collecting off misses that fall right to them, Barnes is fighting tooth and nail for many of his. He has one of the higher contested rebounding percentages of any of the star forwards in the league.
| Player | Rebounds per Game | Contested Rebound % |
|---|---|---|
| Jayson Tatum | 8.7 | 17.6% |
| Kevin Durant | 6.4 | 22.4% |
| LeBron James | 8.0 | 23.0% |
| Giannis Antetokounmpo | 10.8 | 34.1% |
| Scottie Barnes | 9.1 | 38.9% |
All statistics via NBA Stats
That tough rebounding adds a ton of value because of Barnes' ability to grab-and-go or set up teammates with outlet passes.
Barnes is one of the better guys in the league at boxing out as well, allowing other teammates to collect rebounds. His 2.0 box outs per game leads the Raptors, ahead even of all of their centers.
All of that leads to Barnes being in serious consideration for All-Defensive honors at the end of the year. His ability to disrupt plays has been truly among the league's elite. He's been doing the little things on both ends of the floor, and his impact has been enormous.
