“Even LeBron James isn’t as athletic as Scottie Barnes was on the play”: NBA Twitter gushes over the Raptors’ rookie after blocking Jayson Tatum and finishing the play with an emphatic dunk

During the Raptors-Celtics preseason game, rookie Scottie Barnes showcased his long 7-foot-3 wingspan rejecting Jayson Tatum’s attempt and finishing the play with a monstrous slam dunk.

After Kyle Lowry parting ways with the Toronto Raptors, the 2019 NBA Champs surely look like a weaker team than last season. However, the team Led by Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet is filled with All-Star calibre players. Adding players like Scottie Barnes, Precious Achiuwa, and Goran Dragic, the Raptors are a group of talented athletes making them must-watch TV for any basketball enthusiast.

On Saturday night, Boston Celtics hosted the Toronto Raptors team at the TD Garden. A game that saw 7 lead changes and 7 ties, ended with Nick Nurse’s boys taking a close 113-111 unfortunate loss. It was Jayson Tatum’s 20-point, 9-rebound, and 7-assists near triple-double performance helping Boston grab their second consecutive win.

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Drafting him with the #4 of the draft over the likes of Jalen Suggs, Jonathan Kuminga and many other incredible rookies, there is surely a lot of added pressure on Barnes to perform well and help the Raptors clinch a playoffs berth this year. And so far, the 20-year-old rookie has not disappointed. After stuffing the stat sheet with 13 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks in his debut preseason game, Scottie followed it with a modest 9 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks performance.

NBA Twitter reacts to Scottie Barnes blocking Jayson Tatum and finishing the play with an energetic dunk

Apart from stuffing the stat sheet yet again, the 6-foot-7 forward finished with one of the best plays of the preseason so far. During the 3^rd quarter, with the game tied at 67-apiece, Tatum stepped back thinking he had enough space to launch a long-range two-point shot. However, the rookie displayed his gigantic 7-foot-3 wingspan by denying the attempt. And ended the transition play with a huge slam dunk.

Here, have a look at the play.

 

As soon as the clip went viral, NBA Twitter went crazy.

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Definitely, it was one outstanding play. Hopefully, Scottie can keep this kind of production up during the regular season. Undeniably, Barnes is one of the better rookies of his class, who has all the firepower to win the 2022 ROTY honors.