For the first time since his rookie season, all of the pressure doesn’t fall on the broad shoulders of Scottie Barnes where the Toronto Raptors are concerned.

Yes, he’s still the best overall player on the roster with the richest contract and has the highest expectations placed on him, but Barnes — now entering Year 5 — is not the be-all, end-all for the 2025-26 Raptors.

And that’s a good thing, since that role should ideally be reserved for MVP candidates.

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Now, Barnes has a co-pilot in Brandon Ingram, his first teammate to also make an NBA all-star team since Pascal Siakam. And even when Siakam was still around, for better or for worse, it was made clear that the team belonged to Barnes.

The former rookie of the year had a do

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