The Toronto Raptors have fully embraced a new era of their franchise, with Scottie Barnes, Emmanuel QuickleyAnd RJ Barrett as the foundation on which the new era of the Raptors will be built. The trio played well together last season, posting a net rating of +2.9 over 439 minutes. Toronto has invested heavily in the young trio in Barnes extension and Quickley this offseasonAs the 2024-25 season approaches, what’s the most pressing question each of the Raptors’ rising stars needs to answer?
A question for each of the Raptors’ rising stars
Scottie Barnes
Question: How good is he as an outside shooter?
Barnes had a breakout season in 2023-24, being named to his first All-Star Team. One of the biggest factors behind this improvement has been his dramatic improvement from three-point range. Barnes went from shooting 28% from three in 2022-23 to 34% last season. Throughout the first 40 games, Barnes was on fire from three-point range, shooting 38% on 5.6 attempts. Unfortunately, Barnes has gone ice cold from three-point range over the last 20 games, hitting just 23% of his outside shots. Barnes has never been a good shooter, hitting 28% and 30% of his three-point shots in his first two seasons, respectively. Barnes was not a shooter in college, shooting just 40 three-pointers and hitting 27% of them. Last season, Barnes proved that he is not afraid to shoot from three-point range. It remains to be seen how good he is at them.
RJ Barrett
Question: How realistic were his three-point shots last season?
Barrett played the best basketball of his NBA career after being traded to the Raptors. In 32 games with Toronto, Barrett scored 22 points per night while shooting 39 percent on four three-pointers per game. That’s Barrett’s best three-point percentage since his sophomore season. While 32 games isn’t a small sample size, it certainly doesn’t represent an entire season. With the Knicks, Barrett shot 6 percent worse on three-pointers, hitting just 33 percent of his outside shots over 26 games. For the entire 2023-24 season, Barrett made 36 percent of his three-pointers. When Barrett hits his three-pointers, the rest of his game opens up. His driving game becomes more lethal and his passing becomes a threat. Barrett’s shooting with the Raptors may well be a hot streak, but his performance at the Olympics suggests his improved shooting touch is real.
Emmanuel Quickley
Question: Can he improve as a scorer inside the arc?
Unlike the other two members of Toronto’s star trio, Quickley is a proven outside shooter. Whether he can reliably finish in the free-throw zone remains to be seen. With the Raptors, Quickley made 45 percent of his two-point shots. His mid-range shooting in New York played a crucial role in his mid-range shooting, which dropped him to 46 percent. He couldn’t buy a mid-range shot with the Raptors, shooting just 32 percent — a career-low. Like his two-point shooting, Quickley’s floaty game didn’t translate to the Raptors, shooting a career-worst 36 percent in the paint outside the restricted area. Quickley has never been great at scoring in the free-throw zone, but to live up to his new contract, he needs to improve.
The start of a Big Three?
The Raptors have invested heavily in this young trio. Next season, the organization will pay Barnes, Barrett and Quickley close to $70 million. It’s unclear how much potential this trio has, but if they can answer those questions next season, this could be the start of a new big three for the Raptors.
