On the subject of 2026 Defensive Participant of the Yr (DPOY) conversations, all of the discuss is about Victor Wembanyama, and rightfully so. However if you happen to’ve been taking note of Scottie Barnes this season, then you realize precisely how nice his protection has been and that he belongs within the DPOY combine.
Barnes was drafted fourth general by the Toronto Raptors in 2021 and has performed his total profession there to this point. Whereas his potential has lengthy been evident, followers have been ready for it to come back to fruition. A part of the difficulty has been the Raptors themselves.
Toronto went by a interval of upheaval that noticed a number of gamers traded in addition to the arrival of a brand new head coach. Now that the scene within the six is beginning to calm down, Scottie is discovering an actual rhythm on the court docket because the chief of the constantly evolving Raptors franchise this season.
This has develop into significantly apparent on protection, the place Barnes has develop into a strolling spotlight reel. It looks like he is answerable for an virtually limitless sequence of blocks, steals, and defensive performs that find yourself clipped and throughout social media for the subsequent couple of days after each recreation.
Scottie Barnes is making his case for Defensive Participant of the Yr
Being that Wembanyama has been blocking just about each shot that finally ends up inside his ridiculous wingspan, he is an apparent frontrunner for DPOY. It additionally does not damage that he has fast palms and picks up plenty of steals, in addition to his surprisingly good motion for his measurement.
Frankly, Victor in all probability ought to have received DPOY final season, however was ineligible as a result of accidents. So long as he stays wholesome, he is more likely to win the award this season. That does not imply that Scottie Barnes is not in competition. He has led the league in complete steals and blocks, in addition to clutch defensive performs.
Positive, there are different gamers like Chet Holmgrem within the combine, that means it isn’t simply Wembanyama who’s in competition for the Award. And nobody is suggesting that Barnes is a shoo-in, significantly with that degree of competitors between him and being the Defensive Participant of the Yr.
The essential takeaway is Barnes lastly discovering his on-court identification with the Raptors, a defensive pressure who’s pushing his crew into the postseason. If he continues on this observe in future seasons, Toronto will decide up steam, and his DPOY argument will likely be tougher to disclaim.
