Incredible: The path to NBA All-Stardom for Scottie Barnes
Following his first crowded All-Star podium availability on Saturday, Barnes remarked in a quiet moment, “Thinking about those little things just makes it all kick in.”
After Joel Embiid was ruled out due to injury in early February, Barnes was named an All-Star and had been concentrating on the current season. In his postgame interviews prior to the All-Star break, he was asked about his ticket to Indianapolis. He said it was surreal and an honor, but he wasn’t able to see it just yet. It also makes sense in light of the recent trades of Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby, two of his colleagues and veterans, against which the announcement was made. In the short year of 2024, a lot had happened to the Raptors, and consequently, to Barnes.
It also makes sense that everything took a while to catch up because of the small details involved in packing a luggage, which require repetition and force you to sit down and think about the days ahead.
“I think that’s the moment where it really kicks in like, you think about how surreal it actually is and how it’s going to be, what’s the feeling going to be like,” Barnes says, recalling how it finally hit him on Friday of All-Star weekend. Alright, man, you’re going to play in an All-Star game. When you get outside, what will you do? How will things work out?
Barnes has been in All-Star Weekend before; in the previous season, he was selected as a Rising Star. In that case, it took Barnes some time to transfer his effortless explosiveness and relaxed confidence to the floor. When he did, Barnes firmly cemented the evening with a one-handed, slow-motion windmill slam that the commentators aptly referred to as “Kawhi Leonard-like,” as he loped almost languidly to the basket.
Doc Rivers, the coach of the East squad, started Miami’s Bam Adebayo over Barnes and Trae Young in Sunday night’s game. Barnes will have an equal opportunity to adjust and take in the energy of the evening before stepping onto the court thanks to this choice. Less is a matter of nervousness, even though each All-Star is an act of tuning in, followed by the eventual in-game revelation that they’re finally there.
Tyrese Maxey, a former Rising Stars participant for Barnes, will accompany him on the inaugural trip, which is fitting. Although the Sixers are the Raptors’ conference foe, Barnes and Maxey’s career paths have been extremely similar. This season, Maxey has developed and improved his speed and athleticism, which is similar to what Barnes is going through. Despite the fact that their teams are in opposite places, Maxey is receiving the same recognition as Barnes, in Barnes’ opinion.
“Merit to his abilities and his diligence. Barnes reports that “he’s doing pretty well over there. [He’s] scoring multiple goals in big games, 50 balls, his group is triumphant, and he is successful. After giving it some thought, Barnes declares, “I’m proud of him.”
As Team All-Stars, the two were teamed with Trae Young of Atlanta for Saturday night’s Skills Challenge. In the Team Passing and Team Shooting rounds, Barnes was outstanding. He helped Team All-Stars defeat Team First Picks (Victor Wembanyama, Anthony Edwards, and Paolo Banchero) and draw with Team Pacers (Tyrese Haliburton, Myles Turner, and Benedict Mathurin). In the Skills Challenge, Barnes and Team All-Stars forced a tiebreaker round. Team Pacers won the half-court shootout with a better time, making Team All-Stars the night’s runners-up.
During his All-Star podium, Maxey had hinted to his and Barnes’ development and the better performance they anticipated in the Skills Challenge. He laughed and remarked, “That was Rising Stars Scottie and Tyrese, not All-Stars Scottie and Tyrese, so we have a chance.”
Even without the victory, Barnes was beaming most of the evening as he used his customary contagious energy and encouragement to take to the occasionally mesmerizing LED floor. For a portion of the tens of thousands of fans in attendance at Lucas Oil Stadium and the Pacers Gainsbridge Fieldhouse tonight, it was their first look at such attributes.
Although Barnes’ supporters in the Raptors and a growing segment of the NBA know what to expect from him because of his career-best scoring season, consistent rebounding growth, and feel-good three-point shooting, playing in an All-Star game will give him a whole new level of exposure as the league’s future face. That consciousness is reciprocal. Questions on their favorite All-Star Game memories, those that stuck with them and inspired them to be selected one themselves, were thrown at the current All-Star roster. Barnes shook his head in response to the question, saying, “I don’t even think I watched it as a kid; I didn’t even have cable.”
Hence, in terms of what Barnes wants to show off for that large crowd, and despite having a plethora of All-Star Game-relevant skills at his disposal (smart passing, game-winning dunks), it makes sense that, similar to his response to being named an All-Star, Barnes isn’t inclined to get too ahead of the action.
“I’m a guy who lives in the moment,” Barnes grins. “When we get there, we’ll see what happens.”