Toronto Raptors rookie Scottie Barnes expressed his gratitude for the high praise given to him by Miami Heat guard Kyle Lowry after the two teams met on Sunday.
Lowry made his long-awaited return to Toronto to face the Raptors for the first time since joining the Heat last summer. He earned a standing ovation from those fans on hand after spending nine years with the organization and helping them win their first championship in 2019.
He recorded 16 points, 10 assists and six rebounds to help lead the Heat to the 114-109 win. Afterward, Lowry was asked about the future of the organization with Barnes now in the picture after a strong rookie campaign this season.
He is a great talent with his passion and effort. He is a special talent. He is going to be one of those guys that leads the franchise and is going to be a franchise cornerstone. He fits in perfectly here — how hard he plays, how passionate he is for the game. He is only going to continue to get better. I told him just to keep going.
Barnes produced 19 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals.
The fourth pick has emerged as a contender to win Rookie of the Year this season. He ranks inside the top five among all first-year players in scoring (15.4), rebounds (7.5), assists (3.5) and steals (1.1). He was also named the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for March.
Barnes has played an integral role with the Raptors this season as a starter. The team wasn’t initially sure if Barnes could start every game, but the 20-year-old has impressed on the court and helped the team post a 45-33 record this season.
He was very appreciative of the comments made by Lowry.
You can just see he has a bunch of faith in me. He sees a talent that I have and what I can bring to this organization. Of course, he has been here for so long. He did so many great things for this organization where he knows how the system is and how the organization is. He just sees that reflect on me where I can do a lot for this program and what I can be in the future.
The rookie campaign by Barnes has certainly earned plenty of attention and that should result in some accolades at the end of the season for him. He has seemingly impressed his team and several of his peers along the way with Lowry the latest to weigh in.
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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