Raptors’ Scottie Barnes finished among preseason hustle leaders

Toronto Raptors rookie Scottie Barnes was touted as a player that can do it all on the court entering the NBA draft, and the fourth overall pick backed that up during the preseason.

Barnes finished the preseason by averaging 9.8 points, 5.6 assists, 4.8 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocked shots on 46.8% shooting from the field in five games. He led the rookie class in assists, while he also paced the Raptors in that category.

He also saw his name near the top of the leaderboard in a few hustle stats.

Barnes led all players in the league during the preseason with eight loose-balls recovered, posting 1.6 per game. He was also tied for ninth in 3-pointers contested at 16, an indication of his activity level on the defensive end of the floor.

Barnes brought such infectious energy and effort onto the court with the Raptors during the preseason. He has been commended by his teammates and coaches for that ability, and even earned praise from Kyle Kuzma after facing the Washington Wizards.

Raptors head coach Nick Nurse previously said Barnes would log heavy minutes this season and the preseason offered a glimpse of what he can bring on a nightly basis. It is clear his energy and effort will be felt by his teammates and that will ultimately go a long way this season.

Toronto opens the regular season on Wednesday versus Washington.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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