As such, he would have clarified the offseason and the roster’s immediate construction.

It is probably foolish to say that any 20-year-old guard coming off just one year of college would have made a massive difference right away, but Gonzaga’s Jalen Suggs would have been the simplest solution at four. Well, it appears the future has taken the lead, and it might stay there for a long while. For so long, the Raptors have been trying to balance the present and the future, with one nudging ahead of the other and vice versa at varying points. “I just don’t ever not want to talk about his defence,” added Raptors coach Nick Nurse, using the double negative to pleasing effect.Īlas, we have to, because his lack of offence says a lot about what the Raptors are trying to do and, more crucially, when they are trying to do it. “I don’t back down from nobody,” said Barnes, who will turn 20 on Sunday. The Raptors, indeed, are drafting ‘em and stacking ‘em. (For kicks, the Raptors doubled down on this, drafting 6-foot-9 Torontonian guard Dalano Banton and David Johnson, a 6-5 guard with a 6-10 wingspan, with consecutive picks in the middle of the second round.) Barnes’ passing is more developed than his two new, experienced teammates, but broadly speaking, he’s a similar prospect to the Raptors starting forwards - a potentially positionless defender who will be limited offensively to start, especially where his shooting is concerned. Barnes, who the Raptors selected in a modest surprise with the fourth-overall pick in Thursday night’s NBA Draft, has a 7-foot-3 wingspan. If Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby and Scottie Barnes made a circle, just grazing one another’s fingertips, they could enclose a whole lot of space. Maybe, given NBA basketball disappeared from Toronto once the COVID-19 pandemic stopped North America in its tracks in March 2020, the Raptors just want to give the city a nice, big hug, not risking the inability to envelop us all. Maybe the Raptors are going for an “Arms Across Canada” vibe.

Scottie barnes wingspan