As Scottie Barnes' stock rises, Raptors' chances of drafting Duke's Cooper Flagg drops

Article content

Whether it was his one-on-one matchup with Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night, or simply deciding to take over a game that was there for the taking, credit Scottie Barnes for pushing his game to another level.

The Raptors’ recent run of success — winning four in a row and six of their past seven games in what has been the best stretch of basketball played under second-year head coach Darko Rajakovic — hasn’t entirely been a result of Barnes’ improved play, but it never hurts a team when its best player steps up.

Big picture, however, talk of securing the highest lottery odds in this year’s draft, knowing Duke’s Cooper Flagg looms on the horizon, now has been put on hold.

So much of this season has been focused on the Raptors’ rebuild and securing the best draft odds. But by putting together their four-game win streak — tied with the Knicks and Lakers for the longest in the NBA this season heading into Tuesday — the Raptors now have the sixth-best odds at 9.0% to draft first, 9.2% to draft second followed by 9.4% and 9.6% to draft fourth overall.

Based on the NBA’s current lottery odds, Washington, Utah and New Orleans each have a 14% chance to earn the No. 1 slot.

As with any lottery, the NBA’s isn’t a sure thing. History has shown that the highest odds don’t necessarily equate into drafting first overall or selecting even among the top three slots. Recall the Bulls’ lottery odds in 2008 were pegged at 1.7%, the ninth-best odds that season. But Chicago would win the lottery and draft homegrown point guard Derrick Rose.

At this stage, however, the odds of Barnes improving are much greater than the Raptors’ chances of getting their hands on Flagg. But stranger things have happened and there’s no telling what the Raptors will do as the Feb. 6 NBA trade deadline approaches and what kind of roster the club decides to field when the schedule takes an easy turn down the stretch of the season.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.

Play Video

Trailing by as many 16 points, the Pelicans stormed back in the third quarter and led heading into the fourth when Barnes raised his game and Toronto regained the momentum to win 113-104 and earn a series sweep of the Pelicans.

The way Barnes took over the fourth quarter Monday night, pouring in 10 of his 21 points, was an encouraging sign, the kind of play that needs to be repeated with more consistency.

Those looking to quibble with Barnes’ play could point to the 21 shots he heaved to reach 21 points and the six missed three-pointers on seven attempts. His supporters would point out the eight assists, 11 rebounds, eight free throws he buried on nine trips to the charity stripe and the one turnover he committed.

Barnes needs to launch fewer threes and focus more on his mid-range game, which has been close to unstoppable.

Fans in Toronto, meanwhile, witnessed Williamson’s explosiveness and athleticism first hand on Monday when he scored a game-high 31 points on 18 attempts from the field, all from inside from the three-point line.

Almost from the moment he entered the NBA as the first-overall pick in 2019, there were questions surrounding Williamson’s conditioning and ability to stay healthy. The issue has been his sustainability, leading some to believe the Pelicans may part ways with Williamson, who isn’t exactly your traditional big in the mold of a Jakob Poeltl.

But when he’s taking his man off the dribble and exploding to the basket as he did Monday night, it’s easy to see why so many pegged Williamson as a franchise player.

A winnable game in Washington awaits the Raptors on Wednesday night followed by another on Friday when Chicago comes to town. The schedule will then turn difficult with matchups against the likes of the Clippers, Knicks, Grizzlies (with the hometown debut of Toronto’s own Zach Edey), OKC and Houston.

fzicarelli@postmedia.com