Scottie Barnes – Florida State – 6’9 – 227 lbs – August 2001
Barnes is a very unique prospect. Offensively, he has the body of a power forward but the skills of a guard. Like Cunningham, Barnes is an elite passer. He’s terrific at snagging a rebound and taking the ball up court before finding an open teammate. In the half-court, Barnes would post up smaller defenders, then hit cutters in the lane.
As a scorer, Barnes wasn’t tasked with too much responsibility at Montverde, only averaging 11 points per game. He’s got a bit of a low release on his jumper, but he is a good shooter with good touch around the rim.
Defensively, Barnes is pretty special. He was Montverde’s primary defender. He guarded 6’7 forward Jonathan Kuminga in one game and faceguard 6’3 guard D.J. Steward in another. He’s got a 7’2 wingspan and 9’0 standing reach. Barnes has good timing on rotations and can protect the rim from the weak side.
Barnes isn’t super quick with the ball, using a Boris Diaw-esque old school game offensively. His lack of elite burst will probably hurt him at the NBA level, but he should be a very good college player.
Of the four Montverde guys, Barnes’ fit at the next level makes the most sense. Leonard Hamilton has sent plenty of athletic wings (Dwayne Bacon, Jonathan Isaac, Devin Vassell, and Patrick Williams) to the NBA and Barnes enters college as a higher-rated recruit than them all. Hamilton’s 2020-2021 squad, per usual, will have a ton of length and athleticism with Raiquan Gray, Malik Osborne, and Balsa Koprivica.
But after losing Vassell and starting point guard Trent Forrest, the Seminoles will need some creation. There’s a very real chance Barnes plays a ton of point guard, which he didn’t do next to Cunningham. Barnes might be the Seminoles’ best player and an All-ACC player next year.
NBA Draft Projection: 2021 lottery pick (back half)