NBA Draft: How does Scottie Barnes fit with the Warriors?
Scottie Barnes’ helps the Golden State Warriors offensively
What jumps out immediately about Scottie is how incredible of a passer he is. From rebounds and on the break he keeps his head up, tossing dimes between the numbers on his runners down the court. He can make just about any pass in the book going to his right and has more than enough touch to make passes off-hand.
Barnes’ technical skills only further complement his touch, using his eyes and body to disguise his true intentions before the ball zips to his target. He’s excellent at playmaking on sets and while improvising.
Being massive as he is, Barnes sees the whole floor, making this kind of passing skill even scarier. He can be a bit overzealous trying to fit the ball into tight windows, but his efficiency across the board more than makes up for the rare plays that get away from him.
His true skill as a scorer is around the rim, both on the block and on drives. Barnes was a scary guard version of Zion Williamson at times; you knew where he was going, which direction, and when he would go. He simply had too many tricks and counters to be stopped.
Considering his gigantic frame Scottie’s handle is surprisingly tight. He’s also unrelenting when he gets to the rim, often converting his own misses with quick second jumps and finishes. He’s not quite a two-hand finisher at this stage, tending to favor his right, but his ridiculous release point means he can favor it more than others.
He complements this on-ball scoring game with good timing for cuts and dives. Scottie lacks a true roll game at this stage, but his ability in the short roll will give teams fits while he fills his frame out. Barnes is not only an explosive athlete but a graceful one, able to glide over the court before punishing the rim. He’s an absolute freight train going downhill for a wing, though it does get him into trouble.
What ultimately determines Barnes’ offensive ceiling is how his perimeter game develops. His release is adequate for catch and shoot, but he needs to fool a defender badly to get an open look off the dribble. He knows how to relocate off-ball to create favorable passing angles for open shots. The high release point gets him a certain degree of openness with every shot, which is a big plus. But really, the shot is just a bonus considering how skilled he is everywhere else on the floor. If his playmaking and the interior scoring game keep rapidly developing as they did at FSU, nobody will care what he shoots from distance.