Philadelphia’s James Harden gained a new respect for Toronto’s Scottie Barnes while working out together over the weekend.
The two players participated in a summer run with Raptors assistant coach Rico Hines. Hines, who focuses on player development, joined Toronto’s staff after previous experience with the Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, and St. John’s University.
Hines’ workouts have recently featured the likes of Harden and Barnes and several other stars, including Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam. But Barnes, the NBA’s reigning Rookie of the Year, caught Harden’s attention.
You can watch the way that Barnes locked up the 2018 NBA MVP:
Scottie Barnes was locking up James Harden 👀🔒
(via ricohinesbasketball/YT) pic.twitter.com/JbzZyDpjyy
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) August 8, 2022
I’m not somebody who gets particularly excited about scrimmage footage.
But it’s riveting to watch Barnes take on Harden the full length of the court and it’s just as entertaining to see him clap each time he successfully prevents the three-time scoring champion from getting a bucket.
Harden giving Scottie some love 👀 pic.twitter.com/8AtOwcNkzh
— ᴀᴄʜ™🌐 (@StepbackAch) August 7, 2022
Here is what Harden had to say when reflecting on the workout with Barnes:
“I just like his competitive spirit, man. I like the competitive spirit that’s going on in here. Like, Scottie picked me up full court. It’s pickup! First week of August. He don’t give a [expletive]. He’s got that mindset. He a dog. Everybody should have that mindset, especially if you want to get paid, take care of your family. I love the work.”
That’s some high praise from Harden, but it’s not surprising. Before his pro career even began, Barnes made it his mission to destroy everyone at practice during his first NBA season.
Barnes is listed at 6-foot-8 with a 225-pound frame and 7-foot-2 wingspan. But he is quick enough to defend guards like Harden. Among players who have logged at least 1,000 minutes, per BBall-Index, he recorded the most defensive positional versatility of anyone in the league since the data was first tracked in 2013-14.
According to PBP Stats, Harden was defended by Barnes for 83 possessions during the postseason. During those possessions, Harden was 2-for-10 from the field and 0-for-4 on 3-pointers while recording three turnovers.
