The NBA regular season has been underway for over two months, and the league is experiencing severe polarization in both the East and West conferences. In the West, the Thunder have taken an early lead, with a tightly packed group of teams from fourth-placed Mavericks to ninth-placed Spurs, separated by only three games. However, several teams have effectively dropped out of playoff contention, including the rebuilding Kings, tanking Trail Blazers and Jazz, as well as the Pelicans, who are forced to tank. The East is no different, with the Cavaliers starting off strong at 29 wins and 4 losses, leaving the Celtics and Knicks to battle for second place. The remaining Eastern Conference teams, such as the Magic, Bucks, Hawks, and Heat, offer some competition, but most are essentially giving away points to the top teams like the Cavaliers, Celtics, and Knicks.
At the bottom of the East, the Wizards have long planned to rebuild, hoping to trade away Kuzma and Poole for some rebuilding assets. The Hornets' LaMelo Ball has been impressive this season, averaging 30 points and 7.4 assists per game, but he has been unable to lead his team to victory and is plagued by injuries, limiting him to being a regular-season stat-padder. Another team that spent hundreds of millions of dollars this summer with the intention of making a playoff push or even contending for a championship has started with a disappointing record of 7 wins and 26 losses, a win rate of just 22%! Even so, in the East, the last-place Wizards are only eight games behind the tenth-placed Pistons (14 wins, 18 losses), so there is still a chance to make a playoff push. This team is the Raptors, who seem to be throwing their money away.
In the summer of 2024, many young stars received supermax contracts, such as the Cavaliers' Mobley, the Pistons' Cunningham, the Magic's Wagner, and the Raptors' Barnes, who signed a five-year, 224milliondeal.IfBarnesmakestheAll−NBAteamorwinsDefensivePlayeroftheYearthisseason,hiscontractcouldincreasetoasmuchas270 million. However, while the other three young players have proven their worth, Barnes has performed the worst. He averages 19.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 6.9 assists per game, which looks decent on paper, but his shooting percentages are as low as 44% plus 26%. He averages 16.4 shots and 5 free throws per game, yet manages less than one point per shot attempt. His net efficiency, effective field goal percentage, and true shooting percentage are all below average in the league! The Raptors recently suffered an 11-game losing streak, during which Barnes played in games like a 71-125 loss to the Celtics, a 54-point defeat where he took 19 shots for only 16 points and had six turnovers! In a game where the Grizzlies scored 155 points, Barnes was repeatedly targeted by the opposition! In a game against the Rockets, he went 2-for-15 for just 6 points, and when the bench was making a comeback, he was on the court losing points! Prior to that, in a game against the Cavaliers where he went 3-for-14, Canadian media asked if Barnes could be Leonard's successor?
The Raptors gave Barnes a supermax contract in the summer of 2024, firmly believing he would become Leonard's successor. Since winning their first championship in 2019, the Raptors have been in decline, parting ways with former heroes like Lowry, Siakam, and VanVleet. They had high hopes that Barnes could lead the Raptors back to championship contention! Leonard, at 23 years old, had already won the Finals MVP, but Barnes, at 24, ranks 171st in the league with a defensive efficiency of 113.4 and 223rd with an offensive efficiency of 107.2. His win share contribution is not even as good as his teammates Barrett and Adebayo! Leonard made his name through defense and gradually honed his offensive skills, developing mid-range shooting and post moves, but Barnes falls far short of expectations! Additionally, the cold weather in Toronto makes it difficult to attract star players.
That's why the Raptors extended Quickley for five years at 175million(averaging15.3pointsand4assiststhisseason),withapitifulwinsharecontributionof+0.2.TheyalsogaveOlynykatwo−year,23 million contract, but he has only played 10 games this season, averaging 7.3 points. Is the Raptors' money worthless? The Raptors lack an environment for cultivating stars, and their top scorer is still Barrett, who was discarded by the Knicks. Barnes has teammates to protect him defensively and enjoys unlimited shooting rights offensively, yet his performance is questionable! According to the American media's ranking of 25-year-old players, Wen Banyama is first, Edwards is second, Banchero is third, Little Wagner is fourth, and Barnes only ranks 11th!
Relying on Barnes to succeed Leonard is proving to be difficult. Barnes falls short in terms of physicality, defensive attitude, and offensive consistency compared to the young Leonard. The Raptors can only hope to draw the number one pick in the draft in the summer of 2025 and bring in the super-talented rookie Flag, but the odds are extremely low, as the league is unlikely to give the number one pick to the only Canadian team. In the coming years, the Raptors should focus on tanking, as Barnes may not even reach the level of a stat-padder.
