NBA Draft 2021: 5 best prospects for Toronto Raptors at pick No. 4

Scottie Barnes

As diverse and well-rounded as they come in the draft, with defensive positional versatility and offensive uniqueness make Florida State’s Scottie Barnes one of the more interesting players in the draft.

Measured at six foot nine inches tall, and a lean 225 pounds, and with a wingspan of nearly seven foot three inches, the Seminole freshman is amazing in that he can not only guard all five positions with his combination of size, athleticism, and length but also that he has the ball skills to…hypothetically… play the point guard position. He is truly a do it all prospect and is sort of a chameleon in that he can do and be basically whatever you need him to be.

Aside from his physical gifts making him stand out, Barnes clearly operates with a high basketball IQ. It’s incredibly impressive to see a freshman orchestrating and moving his teammates to create better opportunities for those on the floor like he does already.

Physically he is very reminiscent of a Ben Simmons or even Magic Johnson type of player. Which makes him worthy of consideration at the very least. Especially when considering he will still be just 19 on draft night.

The fatal flaw in his game at this moment seems to be that Barnes still needs to develop a shooting form or habit that works for him. He struggles at the line and is not consistent enough from behind the arc to really feel amazing about his jumper or ability to stretch the floor.

He’s not a 3-and-D type player which is holding back his prospective offensive rating, but it’s clear he’s not intimidated and is eager to add that shot. There may also be some evidence that he underperformed at FSU compared to High School in terms of his shot based on how FSU brought him along. That all being said, there’s a case to be made that there is significant evidence that he CAN develop that part of his game.

Barnes is not the consensus pick at the four by draft experts, but his stock is rising. He would make a really interesting running mate as a third to the already athletic and mobile wings the Raptors have in Siakam and Anunoby. Barnes offensive game is not nearly ready to “plug and play” so to speak in the NBA and may take years to be fully realized, but his defensive versatility and utility as a ball-handler would make that a much easier pill to swallow.

If the Raptors are confident that Lowry is coming back, and truly believe in Malachi Flynn as a second guard, you could see them taking the athletic value that Scottie Barnes offers.

The Raptors and their prospects are in a really good position right now with the talent at the top of this draft board. Their proven ability to develop guys makes them a preferable destination for any prospect, and the depth of talent and potential fits of the players involved means there really isn’t a situation where you end up disappointed.

The Dinos will have the ability to pick their favorite of three of the five players talked about here and every single one of them would help this team both immediately and in the future.

Ultimately there are no bad choices for the Raptors in this situation.