NBA Rookie Ladder: Is Raptors’ Scottie Barnes still near the top?

Barnes’ production has taken a slight downturn lately, as the fact that he’s often fifth in line for shots in Toronto has made insane scoring nights more difficult to come by. Still, Barnes is doing everything he can to help the Raptors on both ends while aiding in their playoff chase.

Barnes is scoring, rebounding, defending, and making plays as a passer in a year many went into expecting that he would be a bench contributor. In terms of how he’s helping his team win games while collecting some impressive box score stats, the way Barnes has blended those two concepts this season has been a joy.

NBA Rookie Ladder: Evan Mobley is slightly above Scottie Barnes.

Barnes has been everything Toronto could’ve hoped for, and then some. However, Mobley has overtaken him in these rankings thanks to his role on a much-improved Cavaliers team and the fact his on-ball defense is as good as any young big man in the conference.

Mobley is blocking just under two shots per game while averaging 14.9 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. While the Jarrett Allen explosion and Darius Garland coming out party have helped boost Cleveland’s chances, it’s no coincidence that they went from an also-ran to a contender after taking Mobley.