“Extra Chromosome Strength”: $300 Million-Star Jaylen Brown Controversially Praises Rival Scottie Barnes

Jaylen Brown and his Boston Celtics had to fend off Scottie Barnes and his Toronto Raptors' late charge in their win.

“Extra Chromosome Strength”: $300 Million-Star Jaylen Brown Controversially Praises Rival Scottie Barnes

Jaylen Brown and Scottie Barnes (Image via FirstSportz)

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As the veteran superstars play on into their final years, the emergence of young guns is crucial for the NBA to continue its global dominance. Enter the likes of Scottie Barnes, who has become the Toronto Raptors’ most important player.

The Florida native became the franchise’s 4th overall pick in the 2021 draft, at a time when the organization knew they had to start rebuilding their roster, after Kawhi Leonard decided to leave their championship-caliber team.

After the team started to trade away its prime pieces, such as Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby, Barnes became their de facto primary player. That is what led him to earn an All-Star selection last year, even though the team was not playoff-ready.

This season, that has started to change, and the organization finds itself 4th in the East. The team above them is the Boston Celtics, whose primary superstar, Jaylen Brown, had this to say about his conference rival.

Scottie Barnes is strong… he got that extra chromosome strength. He is some type of Ninja Turtle or something. That boy strong as hell.

Jaylen Brown said on his live stream

This was the 2024 Finals MVP’s opinion after facing the Raptors star in Toronto. The Celtics did end up having to hold off a strong late rally from Scottie Barnes, whose near triple-double performance had Brown and his teammates worried late in the game.

It also seems as if the $300 million earning Brown was subtly throwing some controversy out in public, claiming the 24-year-old guard as someone who is stronger than athletes of that age and physical attributes.

Scottie Barnes and young Raptors need more time

Scottie Barnes’ near triple-double was not enough for his Toronto Raptors to win against the 2024 champions. This marks their 3rd straight loss at home, and their 5th in 6 games.

Young Raptors are in a bad stretch currently
Young Raptors are in a bad stretch currently (Image via Sleeper Raptors/X)

Preceding this bad stretch was a run where they won 13 out of their 14 games. Some of them were against top Eastern Conference opponents, which proved that the Canadian team was no flash in the pan.

However, their recent run has raised questions about the young team’s readiness to tackle adversity, especially with starter RJ Barrett missing in action during this entire stretch.

With a stretch of road and home games coming up, the question on every Raptors fan’s mind would be whether Scottie Barnes or one of his fellow starters takes the lead and helps them stop this free fall.

They are the 4th youngest team in the league, which means they have a lot to learn about how to manage such absences. Maybe the franchise needs to bring in a proven veteran who can help them take the next step.

Scottie Barnes’ strength is in his defense

As Jaylen Brown mentioned, Scottie Barnes has unparalleled strength for a 24-year-old basketball player. But that strength has probably helped the Florida State alum become one of the league’s better defenders.

From October to November this season, the 6′ 8″ guard racked up 64 ‘stocks’, as in steals and blocks. With that, he was tied for the most in the NBA, but was the only player in the league with 30+ in each category.

Those numbers saw the league award him the Defensive Player of the Month for that period. If his development continues the way it has over the past three seasons, Barnes could start to grow into a potential triple-double threat who is also a menace on the defensive end.

After trading for Brandon Ingram during the 2025 trade deadline, Scottie Barnes has to focus a lot more on perimeter threats. While Ingram handles the offensive load, his younger teammate has ensured their opponents do not find it easy.

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