SIMMONS: New beginning for Raptors, next step for Scottie Barnes

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As a first-year player, Kevin Durant scored 20 points a game in Seattle brought down about four rebounds, and did enough to be the rookie of the year in the NBA.

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In his second season, he went from 20 to 25 a night, from four rebounds to more than six. From teenager to near adult.

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This is the way it works for most superstars in waiting in the NBA. It took Giannis Antetokounmpo four seasons to move from 6.8 points per night to 22.9 in Milwaukee. It took Steph Curry, natural as he seems, four years to score more than 20 points a game in Golden State – and he didn’t become a big scorer until his 7th NBA campaign.

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And as a rookie, Anthony Davis scored 13.5 points a game. By his third year, he was averaging just over 24.

And now the next step begins for Scottie Barnes and for the Raptors on opening night Wednesday at the Scotiabank Arena. The next step towards greatness with the possibilities being endless and unknown.

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This is Christmas morning played at night for basketball fans across Canada. They have this present all wrapped up in a bow and upon opening it on a regular season night like no other – they know it’s a good one and they hope it’s the gift they’ve always wanted. That special package that can change teams and times – the rarest of homegrown commodities for the Raptors.

Once upon a time, they had Vince Carter until he didn’t care to be here anymore and maybe that was it. The only homegrown transcendent superstar in Toronto’s history. Chris Bosh was here and he went to the Hall of Fame and DeMar DeRozan was here and he will likely go to the Hall of Fame but this is different with Barnes. This was more right away with Barnes, more hope, more belief, more game, more tools to play with, and more possibilities.

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You pretty much know who and what the Raptors are as this new season begins. Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam are established NBA players. OG Anunoby has added initials to his name, words to his interviews, with a game somewhere between good and great, depending on the night and his health.
Gary Trent Jr. can score and defend, which are not mutually exclusive in the NBA. The team is deep and well-coached in a very deep Eastern Conference.

And then there’s Barnes, who doesn’t play any one position. He plays all of them. He’s a hybrid who can score and defend, rebound and be physical, pass with unexplainable vision, stretch the offence he displayed in Season 1 without playing any more minutes, and can play what his coach calls more impactful minutes.

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The NBA is not a league about kids. Never has been, really. Golden State won the championship last June with 34-year-old Curry and a pair of 32-year-olds Klay Thompson and the puncher, Draymond Green being the most important parts. Siakam and VanVleet both turn 29 near the end of the season. Both are still getting better. None of the Raptors starters are older than them. Barnes, the super kid, turned 21 in August.

“When you look at the rookie season and you get rookie of the year and do all the things he (Barnes) did at the age of 20, now 21, you’re probably looking at someone who is heading towards multiple all-star (appearances),” said coach Nick Nurse, who almost overplayed Barnes last season and intends to do it again this season.

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“He’s got a little superstar element to him already, so in a way, it’s a little tricky there. He did all he could last year. He played a ton of minutes and kept getting better and tougher and now he’s got to run it back. I just keep saying ‘Will he play with the (same) enthusiasm and energy? Like he did just about every time out last year? … I think if he keeps that up, he’s stronger, his skills are better, he should just keep heading in this direction.

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“I hate to use the same line I used last year – ‘What would be a successful season for him?’ – a ton of minutes. We’re still in that mode. The movement he made last year in getting better, in being more aggressive consistently, in taking more opportunities. Can he get to the point where he is more of a high-usage player? And if he is, the numbers will go up.”

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History indicates the numbers will go up, as they have year by year for Durant and Antetokounmpo and Davis and Curry and so many others. And will Barnes begin to carry the Raptors along with him? This is a game of stars – the more options you have, the better chances you have of succeeding. Siakam was an All-NBA 3rd Team last year. VanVleet was invited to the all-star game and he’s on the fringe in that area. But with Barnes, we still don’t know. We’re still learning about him. He’s still learning about all he can do.

This is just the beginning of Year 2. The second chapter of a book still to be written. Hope isn’t just eternal for these Raptors. For Scottie Barnes, it’s expected.

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