In a season where the Toronto Raptors have once again been shouldered with a ton of bad luck, rookie standout Scottie Barnes has given this franchise hope that they can be a consistent winner in the future. The latest Raptors odds show that Barnes has a legitimate shot at being named Rookie of the Year.
The Raptors initially caught a ton of heat when they selected the Florida State dynamo at a time when everyone expected them to select Gonzaga point guard Jalen Suggs. After just a few months, Masai Ujiri appears to have made a very strong selection due to Barnes’ finishing, on-ball defense, and energy.
Barnes and Cleveland Cavaliers standout Evan Mobley have been the two best rookies this season, and deciding which one is having the better season may just come down to personal preference. Having said that, the fact that Barnes’ Rookie of the Year odds have started to take a downturn in recent weeks makes almost no sense.
The latest odds at WynnBET somehow have saddled Barnes with the third-best chance at winning Rookie of the Year at +300. Mobley still has the best odds at +145, while Pistons sensation Cade Cunningham has managed to sneak into second place at +275. Even after such a hot start, Barnes remains an underrated commodity.
Scottie Barnes is now shooting 42.1% from 3 over his last 5 contests on 3.8 attempts per game. Pretty remarkable how far he's come as a shooter over the last few years. Scary for opponents if he's able to turn one of his only true pre-draft question marks into a real strength. pic.twitter.com/NxIa2te8O8
— Mike Schmitz (@Mike_Schmitz) December 2, 2021
Toronto Raptors odds: Scottie Barnes should have a better shot at ROY.
Barnes is averaging 15.1 points (second-highest among all rookies) and 8.3 rebounds (best in the league among rookies) this season. His off-ball defense could use some work, but his on-ball performance has been solid. Now that he’s becoming a respectable shooter, the improvement in his game could frighten opposing teams on defense.
While some were worried that his stats would decline upon the return of Pascal Siakam, he’s actually played some of his best basketball lately. His assist percentage has increased dramatically, and Siakam attracting so much attention on defense has helped Barnes expand his game as a shooter.
Took Scottie Barnes three dribbles for the full-court slam 🤯 @brhoops pic.twitter.com/g0dbH552HW
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 29, 2021
Cunningham will get the chance to pad his stats on a Detroit team that is eyeing the future, while Mobley’s performance on a potential playoff team in Cleveland will help him get some ROY love. Barnes’ stats may not be enough to make him the third player in team history to win this award.
If the Raptors can get back in the postseason picture with Barnes as one of the main factors for their resurgence, it will be very hard for the books in Vegas to keep his ROY odds this low.
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