The ACC’s 6th Man of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and a member of the All-ACC team, Scottie Barnes had an accomplished freshman season at Florida State. As a freshman, Barnes averaged 10.3 PPG, 4 RPG, 4 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.5 BPG, and 2.5 TOPG in 25 MPG on shooting splits of 50/28/62. Below is his full scouting report:
Name: Scottie Barnes
Height/Weight: 6’8/ 225
Wingspan/ standing reach: 7’3/ 9’0
Hand size: 10 ¼
Position: Positionless guard
College/ country: Florida State
Tools: Frame, defense, slashing, playmaking
Pros:
- Outstanding size for a guard with long arms; NBA ready body
- Good rebounder
- High defensive upside
- Versatile on both ends of the floor
- Good vision and can pass over defenses with both hands
- Long strides as a slasher
- Projects to be a good finisher at the rim; difficult to block
- High understanding of the game
Cons:
- Shooting touch needs improvement
- Shot needs to be sped up
- Needs to tighten handle and be more comfortable dribbling lower
- Limited offensively, particularly when the ball isn’t in his hands
- Must improve ball security and turnovers
Overall:
Scottie Barnes is a defensive-minded slasher with advanced playmaking ability with good size. Defensively, Barnes’ size plays a big role in his success. His measurements are very similar to center Charles Bassey’s measurements, but Barnes both plays guard and can defend almost any position defensively. On top of his versatility and size, Barnes also has an incredible basketball IQ, being able to read offenses quickly and shutting down plays either immediately or even before they happen on defense. Barnes projects to be a great defender both on-ball and off-ball, and is likely to be an anchor to a team’s defense.
Offensively, Barnes is limited, but this doesn’t mean he will be a negative. His jumper is unlikely to ever be league-average, but he could earn respect from teams down the road if he continues working on his jump shot. His form is not broken, but it does need to be significantly sped up. Barnes’ best offensive skills come from his playmaking and his slashing. As a playmaker, his basketball IQ comes into play, being able to read defenses and quickly find holes in the defense, and he has a strong ability in tagging teammates and using his strong vision to pass over defenses and get his teammates high percentage looks. He also uses his excellent driving ability to find open shooters, which can keep defenses honest. Barnes is a good finisher at the rim, and his Giannis-like strides make him hard to stop in his attempts to get to the rim, even if defenses collapse. If defenses collapse to his drive, he can punish them with his passing, making him a more complex assignment defensively than given credit for. While Barnes does need to make improvements as a shooter, his jump shot is more likely to be a barrier to greatness more than a fatal flaw. Look for Barnes to go top 10 on draft night.
Similar to: Ben Simmons, Draymond Green, Isaac Bonga, Shaun Livingston
Projected draft range: 4-10
Expected role: Jumbo creator with excellent defense; a likely high-level glue guy.
Unplayable if: Jump shot is completely broken and he never makes improvements on that end.
Exceeds expectations if: Finishing translates, and his projected defensive track hits. Additionally, he becomes a 30-34% shooter from deep on minimal volume in this scenario.
Shot chart:
