Scottie Barnes Earns Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month Honors

Toronto Raptors rookie Scottie Barnes has earned Rookie of the Month honors for the Eastern Conference in February

Scottie Barnes' Rookie of the Year resume just got a little bit nicer.

The Toronto Raptors forward has earned the Eastern Conference's Rookie of the Month honors for February, the NBA announced Thursday afternoon.

Barnes played in 12 games in February, averaging 15.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and shot 54% from the floor and 37.5% from behind the arc. He twice tied his career-high with 28 point outings, first against the Charlotte Hornets on February 25 and then again against the Brooklyn Nets on February 28. Against the Nets, he started the game with 11 straight made field goals and became the first rookie since Shaquille O'Neal to score at least 25 points, grab 15 rebounds, and swipe five steals in a game.

For the season, Barnes is averaging 14.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.3 rebounds while shooting 48.9% from the floor and 31.3% from behind the arc. He currently sits third in Rookie of the Year odds, per Bet365, at +1000, behind Evan Mobley at -700, and Cade Cunningham at +700, respectively.

This is Barnes' first Rookie of the Month honors. He is the first Raptors rookie to win the award since Malachi Flynn earned the honor last April.

Oklahoma City's Joshua Giddey earned Rookie of the Month honors in the Western Conference.

Further Reading

Nick Nurse explains why Malachi Flynn fell out of the rotation & how impressed he's been lately

Raptors genuinely shocked by boos for Goran Dragic: 'Like, what happened?'

Fun has returned to Scotiabank Arena & other takeaways from Toronto's last-second victory over the Nets