NBA Draft: How does Scottie Barnes fit with the Warriors?

Scottie Barnes can be a versatile defender for Golden State Warriors

As talented as Barnes is on offense, defense is truly where he stood out at Florida State. Their switch-heavy scheme perfectly complemented Barnes, who was a top-level team defender across multiple positions. His wingspan, footwork, and positioning instincts give him incredible versatility as well. Scottie can cover both aspects of pick and roll, fights through screens, and wreaks havoc when playing off-ball.

Guarding speedy players on the perimeter isn’t his forte, and he struggles to get backward efficiently. It’s much easier to put a truck in gear than in reverse. Barnes can be put in jail going downhill sometimes. What makes him different is his ability to stay out of these situations. His innate understanding and ability to call out the rotations put him in favorable spots.

Scottie uses his ridiculous arms and strong body positioning to deny the ball and cut off passing angles. Even when in bad spots he can force players to go into less than ideal outcomes. The number of times he forced guards to travel against him was unbelievable to watch. He even has the explosion and timing to get block shots on rotations and in recovery.

What makes Scottie a special defender is the same reason the Lakers have been the best defense in the league since Anthony Davis arrived. Blocks, steals, and deflections are great, but 90% of the play is decided by the minutiae. They predicate their defense on forcing players into the less desirable decision at all times. Cut off a post entry here, blow up a screen there, take little angles at the right times and suddenly you have bad shots and turnovers.

That’s what Scottie’s game is about. His high-IQ defensive game puts offensive players in a mental box. Even when you beat Barnes, you never really get exactly what you want. Players beat him downhill only to run into a big, and when they turn around for help Scottie is there, chopping his feet with his Gumby arms waving.

Ultimately Barnes is talented and smart enough to be a high-level role player at minimum. The right scheme could unleash him on the league.