Samson Folk & Trevon Heath are joined by producer Es for their annual awards draft.
The fellas get together to select some awards.
Can Scottie Barnes return to All-Star status?
“So, what has Barnes clearly established as strengths in his game? He is unquestionably a very strong defender, and he maintained his energy and tenacity in a lost season where he was tasked with a lot of on-ball responsibilities on offense. He is an elite rebounder, providing extra possessions on the offensive glass and closing out possessions on the other side (73rd & 94th percentile). He’s a talented at rim finisher, especially when he’s able to attack off the catch rather than his own dribble. And lastly, but not least, he is one of the best passing forwards in the world. He’s exceptionally quick at reading the floor in front of him, and he uses his huge frame to make a wide array of passes.
There’s a great bedrock of skills here. On top of that bedrock, Barnes has had pockets, stretches, streaks… of pseudo stardom on offense. Whether it’s productive runs of pick n’ roll play where his ability to spray passes everywhere supplies the Raptors with gobs of points; or where bully drives against mismatches are a breaking point for teams who can’t matchup against jumbo wings; or maybe, a small — very small — stretch of strong 3-point shooting – these things have shown up before.”
Will Brandon Ingram be an All-Star?
“Lastly, Murray-Boyles is looking every part of a lottery pick, and a particularly high one at that. If the future of the NBA is going to call on players who can comfortably do anything, and do it with physicality and tenacity? He’s very much a part of that future. The jumper is a question mark, but he can definitely drive the ball and move it on with the pass. The defense? Forget about it. He’s clearly already a strong defender at the highest level in the world. He reminds me of Kante the footy player. There’s a classic joke: “They say 70% of the world is covered by water and the rest is covered by N’Golo Kante.” CMB provides something similar to the Raptors. He’s a really fun watch.”
Enjoy the listen! Tell us what awards you think the guys could win!
Have a blessed day.
