Precious Achiuwa & Nick Nurse Make the Case for Scottie Barnes for Rookie of the Year

The Toronto Raptors think Scottie Barnes should win the NBA's Rookie of the Year honors despite what Evan Mobley has done for the Cleveland Cavaliers this year

Aaron Rose | Mar 24, 2022

Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

Precious Achiuwa scoffed at the question.

Is Scottie Barnes the Rookie of the Year, I asked Wednesday after practice.

“I don’t think there’s a question,” he snapped back. “I don’t even understand why there is a debate about that.”

It’s true, Barnes has been a revelation for the Toronto Raptors this year. In a league where the best rookies are usually putting up empty numbers, trying to expedite their development on the league’s worst teams, Barnes has been an anomaly. He’s a winner, making an impact on a team heading to the playoffs.

“I think he has proven himself over and over and over again. Like I said, I don’t think it’s even a question. I think he deserves it,” Achiuwa added.

Vegas oddsmakers seem to think otherwise. Barnes sits in a two-way tie alongside Cade Cunningham for the second-best Rookie of the Year odds behind Evan Mobley, the Cleveland Cavaliers forward Toronto will face Thursday night. It’s tight, but not that tight. Mobley can be found anywhere from -900 to -600 to win the award, conveying nearly a 90% chance he takes home the hardware, compared to Barnes who sits around +600, conveying about 15% chance of winning.

Statistically, they’re close. Barnes is a slightly better offensive player while Mobley has the edge defensively.

Player	PPG	TS%	AST	REB	NET RTG
Scottie Barnes	15.4	54.6%	3.4	7.7	-0.9
Evan Mobley	15.2	54.8%	2.6	8.3	-1.1

The case for Mobley comes down to his size and impact on both ends of the court. He’s taken a downtrodden Cavaliers franchise and turned it into one of the league’s most exciting young teams. He’s done it as a new-era 7-foot big who can switch out onto the perimeter, defend guards, and can step out and drain mid-range jumpers to space the floor.

“I would say like being that tall and moving that well for his size just gives him an advantage vs. a lot of different people,” Barnes said of Mobley who he’s known since he was 15 or 16 years old.

But Barnes isn’t dissimilar. His 6-foot-7 frame with those Inspector Gadget arms that have turned him into a futuristic point-forward for Toronto. His playmaking is better than Mobley's and at times this season, he's been tasked with running the Raptors’ offense as the lone point guard on the floor.

“He’s a good player as well, but I don’t think he has the type of responsibilities Scottie has on this team,” Achiuwa said of Mobley.

Winning the award, however unlikely, has been a goal of Barnes' since the start of the year. Back in January he said he wanted to start his NBA legacy off right with Rookie of the Year honor and while he isn’t keeping tabs on what everyone else is doing, he said Thursday, he’s aware of how tight the race is and how special this class is.

So, should Barnes win it?

“100 percent. 100 percent he should,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. “I think it’s a helluva race, Mobley’s been unbelievable, I think Scottie’s been as unbelievable, especially lately. He’s been a real force.”

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