Scottie Barnes has captured the attention of the NBA world with his play this season, but there's one former Raptor who was onto the first-year player well before the rest of the basketball world knew who he was.
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Barnes, the No. 4 overall pick in last year's draft, has quickly become a fan favourite in Toronto and is perhaps the Raptors' most dynamic player in some time.
His play has seen him (rightly) mentioned as a potential winner of the NBA's end of season Rookie of the Year award, and while most people only really got to know Barnes through his play this season, former Raptor Kyle Lowry says he was well aware of Barnes' potential from way back.
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"I got a chance to see him in high school. I was like, wow, he's gonna be a pro," Lowry said. "I knew, even at that time, that he wasn't a scoring guy, he was a guy who did everything, but what impresses me is he's continued to get better."
Lowry isn't lying.
On a SLAM Magazine Instagram post in December 2020, when Barnes was still playing at Florida State, Lowry commented "pro" on the picture.
Through 69 games, Barnes is averaging 15.4 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game as the Toronto Raptors have surged into the guaranteed playoff spots in the East despite being ravaged by injuries at various stages of the season.
Barnes, to his credit, has been asked to fill many roles on the team but has carried himself more like a veteran than a first-year player.
"He's hit the rookie wall a little bit, but not too much," Lowry added. "He's guarding the best [offensive player.] His energy is infectious. Obviously, that means I watch a lot of games of the Raptors but he's just been really impressive."
Barnes' drive to be better has already earned him respect from within the Raptors organization, and Lowry believes that the Raptors' core will only be positive to Barnes' game.
"He's going to continue to grow and with a guy like Freddie [VanVleet] and Pascal [Siakam], with those guys helping him and pushing him to be better, he's going to continue to grow," said Lowry.
"The sky's the limit for a kid like that."