There is no shortage of praise for Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes who has firmly established himself as a steadily progressing player and a future star in the NBA. With his versatility and unique skill set, Barnes has developed quickly on both ends of the court in under three seasons, becoming a player who now serves a key role in leading Toronto’s offense.
Having been drafted fourth overall in the 2021 Draft, he performed well in his rookie season. Barnes was averaging 15.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.1 steals a game and was involved in a highly competitive contention for Rookie of the Year award alongside other first-round picks which included his former Montverde Academy teammate and 2021 first overall pick Cade Cunningham. In the end, Barnes defied estimates by winning the ROY award and set himself up for more opportunities ahead.
But as much as we are aware of his impact in the NBA, many fans tend to look over his time before being drafted and what made him the basketball athlete he is today.
Scottie Barnes at Florida State
On October 14, 2019, following his graduation from Montverde, Barnes committed to play college basketball for Florida State University (FSU) over offers from Syracuse, Oklahoma State, Ohio State, Oregon, Kansas, and Kentucky.
In his freshman (and only) season with the Florida State Seminoles, Barnes made waves within the Atlantic Coast Conference by scoring 10.3 points, four rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.5 steals per contest while 50% from the field. His contributions were instrumental in leading Florida State into the 2021 NCAA tournament.
Barnes' ability to impact the game both as a scorer and role player was evident in his collegiate journey. Standing at 6 feet 7 inches tall with long arms and top-level athleticism allowed him to be effective on the court. The versatile nature of his gameplay continues to set him apart from other small forwards who have the size but lack the quickness and the offensive push present in his game.
Barnes was precise with his numbers in the important aspects of his game such as mid-range shooting, perimeter defense, assists, and rebounds, and had a natural ability to get to the rim and create scoring opportunities for himself and his team.
Barnes brought with him the lessons he learned at Florida State to the NBA and has worked to improve beyond his FSU days.
Which year did Scottie Barnes graduate?
It's unknown whether Barnes has graduated as he left FSU in 2021 with three years of eligibility remaining in order to make it in the NBA in which he has found a resounding success.
FAQs
A. Scottie Barnes stands 6 feet 7 inches tall.
A. Scottie Barnes’ wingspan measures 7 feet 3 inches in length.
A. Scottie Barnes plays as a Small forward and secondarily as a shooting guard.
A. Scottie Barnes is of American nationality with many of his relatives being Canadian.
