Scottie Barnes has been playing the best defense of his career. The 23-year-old has helped the Toronto Raptors turn their season around as the team has won 5 games in a row and 7 of their last 8.

Jakob Poeltl had 21 points and 14 rebounds, Scottie Barnes had 21 points and 11 boards, and the Toronto Raptors beat the New Orleans Pelicans 113-104 on Monday night for their first four-game winning streak in almost two years.

I feel like I’m a great defender. I feel like it doesn’t really get talked about enough but I feel like I’m a great defender. I guard whoever, can play one through

In some ways, comparing Scottie Barnes and Zion Williamson is like a basketball philosophy test. As the two squared off Monday, Barnes showed why the Raptors feel their star is only getting better.

The Raptors are experiencing a fair share of struggles this NBA season, but star player Scottie Barnes' performances have encouraged fans.

Scottie Barnes has always been able to do special things on the defensive end of the basketball court. Before he was zipping no-look passes across the floor, mastering the mid-range or posting triple-doubles,

Barnes put up 24 points (8-17 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 7-7 FT), 12 boards, seven assists, two steals and two blocks across 32 minutes in the 117-94 win over the Hawks on Saturday.

The Eastern Conference player of the week averaged 22 points, 9.7 rebounds and six assists in three victories.

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With Davion Mitchell entering the lineup for longer stretches, the Raptors point of attack defense has shifted radically, and with a better front end, Scottie Barnes has been able to dominate on the back end of things.

Scottie Barnes led all scorers with 24 points, four rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one block on 19 shots. The Raptors had seven other players score in double figures.