Why Toronto Raptors' Scottie Barnes is suddenly in running for major NBA award

Scottie Barnes deserves a lot of credit for the Toronto Raptors being one of the top defensive teams in the NBA this season.

With Toronto playing meaningful basketball down the stretch, Barnes' name has been among the leading candidates for the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) award, and his odds to win the prestigious accolade could rise significantly.

San Antonio Spurs centre Victor Wembanyama has long been considered the favourite, leading the NBA in several major defensive statistics, but a league rule could invalidate his eligibility if he does not meet the league's minimum requirement for games played.

BREAKING: Victor Wembanyama is considered doubtful on Wednesday vs Portland due to a rib contusion. He is hopeful to play in at least one of the team’s final three games.

Wembanyama has played 63 games this season, meaning he needs to play two more in order to be eligible for… pic.twitter.com/AJwDhkrW1J — Basketball Forever (@bballforever_) April 7, 2026

The NBA has a collectively bargained requirement for players to appear in at least 65 games to be eligible for major end-of-season awards, including Most Valuable Player, Defensive Player of the Year, and Most Improved Player. The rule was introduced ahead of the 2023–24 season to curb load management and ensure star players appear for fans.

Wembanyama has played 64 games this season and would need to appear in one of San Antonio's final two regular-season games, logging at least 20 minutes, to remain eligible. However, that could be difficult given he's injured and San Antonio's playoff aspirations.

The 22-year-old left Monday's game against the Philadelphia 76ers with a left rib contusion after colliding with a teammate. The injury forced Wembanyama to miss Wednesday's game against the Portland Trail Blazers, meaning he would now need to play at least 20 minutes in either Friday's or Sunday's game to qualify for DPOY consideration.

Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson said following Wednesday's win that Wembanyama's injury has "improved quite a bit," but it may not be worth rushing their star back, especially with San Antonio having already locked up the No. 2 playoff seed in the Western Conference.

The case for Barnes remains strong. He's logged 77 games and currently ranks third in the league in defensive win shares, trailing only Wembanyama and Holmgren, a metric that estimates how much a player contributes to team wins through their defensive impact.

Scottie Barnes' play has the Toronto Raptors ranked fifth in the NBA in defensive rating. (Michael McLoone/Imagn Images)

The Raptors star also ranks higher than Holmgren in defensive box plus/minus, i.e., how much a player influences team defence, posting a 2.3 mark compared to Holmgren's 1.9.

If Wembanyama continues to miss time and Barnes helps Toronto clinch its first playoff berth in four seasons, the Raptors star could suddenly find himself in serious contention for his second major NBA award.