With Toronto Raptors sensation Scottie Barnes set firmly alongside Cleveland’s Evan Mobley as frontrunners for the 2021-22 Rookie of the Year, we can start to record at this impressive freshman campaign with a bit of a wider lens. Is Barnes going to be the next Damon Stoudamire or Vince Carter?
Not only has Barnes been leading all rookies in scoring and rebounding, but he’s also been doing it all while shooting above 50% from the field. He’s expanded his game by creating for himself off the dribble and improving as a jump shooter from mid-range and the foul line (62% in college, 79% in the NBA).
He’s been doing this while being able to viably guard Jusuf Nurkic and Damian Lillard in the same quarter.
Crazier still, Barnes has managed to capture the hearts of casual fans with his highlight dunks, fire on the court, and trademark enormous smile. At the same time, he’s appealing to grumpy older analysts like Kendrick Perkins and Charles Barkley with his toughness and basketball smarts.
All that taken into consideration, one has to start wondering if this is the best rookie the Toronto Raptors have ever had. As lofty a declaration as that may sound, Barnes is producing at an elite clip.
How good is Toronto Raptors rookie Scottie Barnes?
In their now 27 years as a franchise, the Raptors have had 14 lottery picks play out their rookie campaigns north of the border. I’ve taken the liberty of writing them out and grading their respective freshman years, report card style.
- ’95 Damon Stoudamire (7th): A+
- ’96 Marcus Camby (2nd): A
- ’97 Tracy McGrady (9th): C+
- ’98 Vince Carter (5th): A+
- ’03 Chris Bosh (4th): B+
- ’04 Rafael Araujo (8th): D
- ’05 Charlie Villanueva (7th): B+
- ’06 Andrea Bargnani (1st): B
- ’09 DeMar DeRozan (9th): B
- ’10 Ed Davis (13th): B-
- ’11 Jonas Valanciunas (5th): B
- ’12 Terrence Ross (8th): C
- ’16 Jakob Poeltl (9th): C+
Except for the empty Pringles can that was Rafael Araujo, the Raptors have drafted quite well in this position over the years.
Now, not all of these guys stayed long-term in Toronto, and even fewer of them still became stars, but that’s beside the point. Barnes has three notable contenders on this list for the title of best Raptors rookie ever in Damon Stoudamire, Marcus Camby, and Vince Carter.
Damon Stoudamire
Rookie Stats: 19.0 PPG, 9.3 AST, 4.0 RPG, 1.4 STL, 42 FG%
One of the weirder careers in NBA history, Stoudamire was the first-ever draft pick made by the Raptors franchise back in 1995.
A lowly expansion team made of table scraps from the rest of the NBA, Stoudamire was the one bright spot in an otherwise hopeless Raptors roster. As a rookie, Mighty Mouse was given the car keys immediately and slammed on the gas.
The Arizona alum was making pull-up threes before Steph Curry could own a library card, breaking scoring and assist records previously held by Oscar Robertson, and lapping his fellow draftees in the Rookie of the Year race with over 67% of the vote.
Granted, the Raptors finished bottom three in the league with only 21 wins that year, but what were you expecting?
Marcus Camby
Rookie Stats: 14.8 PPG, 1.5 AST, 6.3 TRB, 1.0 STL, 2.1 BLK, 48 FG%
One of the forgotten players of his era, Camby is on the shortlist of greatest players never to make an all-star team. A four-time blocks champion with season averages of as many as 3.7 swats a night, Camby’s length and speed at 6-11 made him a truly before-his-time defensive weapon.
Coming into the league in the loaded 1996 NBA draft, Camby’s peers went on to log a combined 64 All-Star appearances. While that stings looking back, the Raptors couldn’t have been happier at the time. In their eyes, they just landed their new star duo in Camby and Stoudamire.
Oddly, neither of those guys reached the heights their rookie campaigns promised, but as a young player, Camby doubled as an athletic rim runner and team defensive anchor. While he was too skinny to guard guys like Shaq straight up in the post, his speed in switches and timing as a weak-side rim protector was for real.
Vince Carter
Rookie Stats: 18.3 PPG, 3.0 AST, 5.7 TRB, 1.5 STL, 1.5 BLK, 45 FG%
This version of Carter was still wielding the elite athleticism that would cement his place in NBA history. Rather than combining that with a long-range shooting touch, rookie Vince made his name as a plus defender and scorer.
His developing 3-point shot didn’t stop him from averaging over 18 points per game. Thanks to mid-range jumpers, moving off-ball, and attacking the basket as only he can, Carter cared about every single game he played in.
Is Toronto Raptors rookie Scottie Barnes better than Vince Carter?
While he was by no means the best version of himself as a 22-year-old rookie, one could argue this was Vince at his most endearing. When it came to the Rookie of the Year vote, Vince cleaned up, collecting 96% of the first-place votes.
Carter had all the trappings of rookie sensation. A three-year standout at UNC, Carter was media-savvy, had an uncommon knack for scoring, and played unselfish basketball. The highlight-reel machine made good on the hype with one of the best debut seasons in Raptors history.
How is Scottie Barnes better?
We could compare and contrast the stats and make the argument that he’s nearly the defender Camby was and nearly the scorer Vince was all rolled into one. Before you double-check the points per game averages, know this.
Scottie Barnes has by far the lowest usage rate of any of these guys.
Usage rate:
Camby: 24.3
Stoudamire: 23.5
This means that of all of these rookies, Barnes has the fewest sets run for him and is still having arguably the biggest impact on his games. This is made even rarer by his lack of a 3-point shot. He’s not one to just sit in the corner. He’s a creator, but he’s still getting his stuff without dominating the ball.
This is due to the situation Barnes is in.
In the 90s, when the Raptors franchise was still in its infancy, lottery rookies had nobody to answer to. Stoudamire was running the show, Camby was the second-highest-paid player on the team, and Carter was being crowned the prince of the NBA. They had no shoebox to fit into, no established stars to back up, and nothing tying their stats down.
By contrast, Barnes has multiple veterans, ball handlers, and established star-level players to share the sugar with. If he’s putting up these numbers playing behind Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, and OG Anunoby, just imagine what he’d be doing on the Pistons with Cade Cunningham’s 26.1 usage rate.
So Barnes is defending like Camby and scoring like Vince. He’s passing, rebounding, improving as a shooter, and connecting with fans, all while deferring to multiple veterans and contributing to a winning culture? Name another Raptors rookie who’s ever done that.