Scottie Barnes’ latest rise in ESPN’s NBA Rank says plenty about where he stands now: he’s climbed to No. 17 for 2026, one spot ahead of LeBron James, and the jump feels like more than just a number. Barnes, 25, moved up 13 places from No. 30 in 2025 after a season that brought him his second All-Star selection and his first All-Defense nod.
ESPN’s André Snellings summed up the case for Barnes by pointing to the full range of his game. Barnes, Snellings wrote, does "everything for the Raptors on both offense and defense." He added, "He has been the do-everything engine for the Raptors on both offense and defense, finishing fifth in the Defensive Player of the Year vote while leading the team in assists and scoring nearly 20 points per game."
That description fits the season Barnes put together. On offense, he finished third on the Raptors in scoring at 18.1 points per game while shooting 50.7 percent from the field. He also tied for the team lead with 5.9 assists per game and added 1.9 offensive rebounds a night.
When you stack the numbers together, Barnes stood alone across the league in 2025-26. He was the only NBA player to average at least 18.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.5 offensive rebounds, 1.5 blocks, and 1.0 steal per game.
The defensive profile is what pushes him into a different tier. Basketball Index had Barnes in the 97th percentile in perimeter isolation defense, the 87th percentile in rim protection, and the 95th percentile in overall screener defense. He also checked in at the 90th percentile in defensive positional versatility and the 95th percentile in matchup difficulty as a defender.
Barnes brought similar impact on the other end, too. He ranked in the 87th percentile in rim shot making efficiency, the 86th percentile in one on one shot making, the 93rd percentile in passing creation volume, the 99th percentile in passing creation quality, and the 81st percentile in on-ball gravity. Even with a jump shot that remains a point of skepticism for some, he still landed in the 77th percentile in off-ball gravity.
That’s the tension with Barnes: the jumper is the last argument left against him, but everything else points the other way. He’s not just productive.
He’s layered, versatile, and complete in a way few players can match. ESPN’s ranking makes the point plainly enough - Barnes has moved past the old standard and into the conversation as the league’s most well-rounded player.
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