Scottie Barnes has been an elite two-way talent this season for the Toronto Raptors.
Scottie Barnes is fresh off winning Eastern Conference Defensive Player of the month for October/November.
The 24-year-old recorded 64 stocks (steals + blocks), tied for the most in the NBA and he was the only player in the league with 30+ steals and 30+ blocks.
On the day in which Barnes finally got some league-wide recognition for his defense, he was impactful on offense as well in the Raptors’ win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
Scottie Barnes had a stellar performance against the Portland Trail Blazers
The Toronto Raptors were able to bounce back after two straight losses to pick up a big win against the Blazers.
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The defensive standout Barnes was excellent with his offense in this one. He finished with 28 points on 18 shots to go along with 7 rebounds and 7 assists.
Barnes was not only a difference-maker on offense, but his defense ultimately won the game for the Raptors.
With the Raptors up 4 with 14.6 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Deni Avdija had the ball in his hands.
He drove to the basket but he was blocked by Barnes with 9.7 seconds remaining, which sealed the win for the Raptors. It was one of two blocks Barnes had in this game.
Scottie Barnes should strongly be considered for the Defensive Player of the Year award
Barnes needs more attention when it comes to winning the 2026 Defensive Player of the Year award.
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He has been consistently solid on that end of the floor all season long and he has helped the Raptors get off to a 15-7 start, which is good enough for 2nd place in the East.
Barnes has averaged 20.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.6 blocks per game this season, while being able to guard all five positions.
Barnes should be mentioned in the same conversation as Chet Holmgren, Victor Wembanyama, Evan Mobley and Amen Thompson when it comes to winning the DPOY award.
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