Scottie Barnes called out the NBA on their decision to tighten calls on straight-line pathways for an offensive player. On Tuesday, the Raptors star retweeted a post explaining the exact plays eligible for this adjustment.
Barnes shared his thoughts on the new officiating adjustment in two words.
Thanks for the submission!
“b*s,” he wrote.
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According to the adjustment, starting next season, officials will not be lenient in calling defensive fouls on defenders guarding an offensive player driving to the basket along a straight path.
This means that when an attacking player comes off a screen and drives to the basket, his defender will not be allowed to make contact with them and throw him off balance, limiting the defender’s options.
Barnes is one of the league’s best defensive wings. Last season, he finished fourth in the Defensive Player of the Year voting and made the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. Now, with this new adjustment to officiating, he will have to make some major adjustments to his game on the defensive side of the floor.
Scottie Barnes feels disrespected after not making the NBA All-Defensive first team last season
On the Raptors media day on Monday, Scottie Barnes revealed that he felt disrespected after he was not named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team.
“I know I’m one of the best defensive players in the world,” he said. “I make an impact on that floor every single night. It’s whatever. I don’t wanna say how I really feel. It just felt kind of disrespectful that I didn’t make (All-Defensive First Team). I know for sure I’ll be on there this year.”
The Raptors had one of the league’s best defenses last season, led by Barnes. According to Stats Muse, they had a defensive rating of 113.0. Brandon Ingram was one of the players with low defensive output during games. But now that he was traded to the Clippers in exchange for Kawhi Leonard, fans can expect the Raptors to be even more formidable.
Barnes told fans to be excited when asked about the expectations for the upcoming season.
“You guys are going to be in for a treat… I’m pretty excited to get to it,” he said.
Leonard has not been near his prime when it comes to his defensive abilities. However, he is still one of the league’s best two-way players. Partnered with Barnes, Leonard can lead the Raptors to a deep playoff run in the upcoming season.
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Edited by Avi Shravan