Toronto Raptors guard Jamal Shead believes that Scottie Barnes should be one of the top candidates for this season’s Defensive Player of the Year award, especially after last night’s 107-106 win over the Orlando Magic.
Barnes, who was named Defensive Player of the Month a few weeks ago, had 13 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, and two steals on 5-for-12 shooting from the field. More importantly, the 24-year-old forward prevented Paolo Banchero from hitting the game-winning trey at the buzzer to secure the home victory.
“Scottie, who’s supposed to be in the DPOY talks, I’m really trying to push that because we’re out there, and I have so much confidence just because a guy like that is behind me,” Shead said of Barnes during the postgame presser.
“Towards the end of the game, when he’s guarding Paolo (Banchero), and he’s the guy up there pressuring, I feel really confident in that outcome,” he added.
Toronto Raptors News: Darko Rajakovic calls on Canadian fans to help Scottie Barnes in the NBA All-Star voting
Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic doubled down on Jamal Shead’s endorsement by urging Canadian fans to pour their NBA All-Star votes on Scottie Barnes, who didn’t appear in the Top 20 of the Eastern Conference first fan returns.
“I’m puzzled, and I am very disappointed. We need to get this right. Canada needs to get this right. It starts with us… What he does is what generational players are doing,” Rajakovic told reporters via TSN’s Josh Lewenberg.
Fan voting accounts for 50 percent of the selection process for NBA All-Star Game starters. This season, Barnes averages 19.3 points, 8.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.5 blocks on 50.7 percent shooting from the field across 33 appearances, and has yet to miss a game.
