TORONTO – If superstar-level prestige is the goal, eventually you’ll want that award section of your Wikipedia page or Basketball Reference profile to start filling up.
It’s been a while since Scottie Barnes added something to his resume, a new title, a new award.
Of course, his Rookie of the Year win in 2022 remains the crowning achievement, followed closely by his first and only All-Star selection in 2024. He was also named the player of the week for the first time in late January 2025.
But amid a sterling defensive season, Barnes is finally being recognized for his efforts on the end he built his reputation on.
For the first time in his young career, Barnes was named the Eastern Conference Defensive Player of the Month for October and November. And while it’s a relatively new award, only created ahead of the 2024-25 season, it puts Barnes in a remarkable class of defensive stalwarts, joining him with defensive players of the year like Jaren Jackson Jr., Evan Mobley and Draymond Green, as well as the preemptive favourite to win every DPOY from now until his retirement, Victor Wembanyama. All this to say, it’s not a nothing award.
And for a team struggling to recapture the explosiveness of their offence over the course of their previous nine-game win streak, a sturdy defensive showing from their star would go a long way if they hoped to break a two-game losing streak ahead of some key matchups with the Lakers, Celtics, and a rematch with the Knicks in the NBA Cup quarterfinal next week.
They got that on Tuesday, and while the boxscore may not show it — with Barnes’ impact more obvious on offence with 28 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and two blocks on 55.6 per cent from the field and 42.9 per cent from three-point range — Barnes’ damage on defence came from an increased understanding of how the game is playing out in front of him and a willingness to take on all comers.
Part of what’s helped him become a player worthy of the Defensive Player of the Month has been his growing understanding of his place in the NBA, something that can only come with experience.
“A big part of that is the work he’s putting in, dedication, studying the players, getting to know the league. It’s year five for him,” Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic said about his award-winning forward. “He’s continuing to improve in every single aspect.”
Studying has been a big deal for Barnes, and it pays off when asked to switch one-through-five, and guard guys with wildly different skillsets — like the long, three-point shooting Jerami Grant, or Swiss Army knife point-forward Deni Avdija, or defensive stopper Toumani Camara. It takes a ton of understanding to grasp how best to take on one of those guys, let alone all three.
While all three finished with solid numbers on the night — Grant had 19, Camara had 21, and Avdija had 25 on six-of-15 from the field — there were stretches where each felt invisible, or at least hampered by slight variations of pressure Barnes was able to throw on them.
Look at Grant in the early goings. Barnes started the game with him as his primary assignment and held him to only three points in the first half. He wasn’t face-guarding Grant — the Blazers wing stood in the corner for the most part. Instead, Barnes stood just far enough away that it erased the threat of Grant’s three-point shot, knowing he could recover, and it allowed the Raptors stalwart to function as a help defender on the inside.
For most of the game, Barnes was a shadow. He finished without a steal because he was rarely getting the opportunity to really nab a pass. But like cornerbacks in football, the best to play the position don’t rack up massive interception numbers because the ball doesn’t get into their airspace in the first place.
“I think rim protection, his deflections, playing off the ball and just roaming on defence, recognizing situations,” Rajakovic said of Barnes’ situational awareness and how he impacts the game defensively. “He’s doing a really good job there apart from being elite on the ball as well.”
But Barnes wasn’t gonna go without a keystone moment on the defensive end. He just won the award, he had to show the fans exactly why he did.
With only seconds to go and the Raptors up four, Barnes found himself in his usual spot: guarding the shooter, Kris Murray, in the corner, while leaving just enough space to recover for a contest on the perimeter and help on defence should the Blazers attack the rim.
Avdija opted for the drive, going at Jamal Shead with his left and taking it to the rim. So Barnes rotated to help and swatted the attempt with 8.5 seconds to go, virtually sealing the win for the Raptors.
It was the second game-winning block of the season for Barnes, proving exactly why he was named the Eastern Conference’s top defensive player, and providing the winning plays at the core of the Raptors’ identity this season.
“That was great. It all comes down to winning, so I’m happy to get the win,” Barnes said of the award after the game, not making a big deal of it.
Even during the outing, the allure of a new trophy didn’t seem to phase Barnes much.
After the first timeout in the opening frame, the team played a tribute video to Barnes, congratulating him on his win. Not once did Barnes look up, acknowledge the jumbotron, or show a hint of excitement about being the best defender in the East.
Instead, he sat on the bench, locked into his team’s huddle, watched his head coach draw up a play and helped set up an action that saw Immanuel Quickley finish an 11-foot driving floater. It all comes down to winning.
And while Rajakovic was proud of his star for winning an award, he himself didn’t care about his own nomination for coach of the month — Detroit’s JB Bickerstaff won the award in the East.
“No feelings at all (about being nominated). This is about players and my team,” Rajakovic said. “Really proud of my team, proud of our guys. We got a lot more work to do, a lot in front of us. Just focusing to get one per cent better every day.”
So while an award like this one can serve as vindication for a team and a player still out to prove themselves, it doesn’t matter if it doesn’t go hand-in-hand with winning. On Tuesday, and throughout most of November, it sure did.
