The Toronto Raptors are trying everything they can to climb back out of the play-in tournament this season, and they’ve had a ton of success leaning on rookie sensation Scottie Barnes while doing so. Names like LeBron James and Kevin Durant have tipped their cap to the young rookie.
Barnes started the year as the clear-cut Rookie of the Year favorite, though Cleveland Cavaliers standout Evan Mobley has been equally impressive in his first year in the pros. Cade Cunningham took a while to get going, but he’s reminding everyone why he was worthy of the No. 1 pick.
The Barnes-Mobley-Cunningham debate is going to go down to the wire, as all three of these young players have been phenomenal in their debut seasons. Bizarrely, if you look at some of the betting odds in Vegas, the sportsbooks appear to be suggested that Mobley is running away with this award.
Although Barnes is pulling off feats we’ve only seen a handful of times in the last few decades, the latest Raptors odds from WynnBET has Barnes ranked third at +600. Mobley is the overwhelming favorite at -700, while Cunningham is in second at -550. Are the oddsmakers not watching what Scottie is doing every night?
Scottie Barnes is the 4th rookie over the last 20 seasons with 25 points, 15 rebounds and 5 assists in a game, joining Ben Simmons, Blake Griffin and LeBron James. He is the first rookie in Raptors history to do this. pic.twitter.com/cJymqV0Fon
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) March 19, 2022
Toronto Raptors odds: Scottie Barnes must be a Rookie of the Year leader.
The argument of Mobley contributing to a contender is starting to fall apart. While both players are nearly identical in terms of points per game (15.4 for Barnes vs. 15.3 for Mobley) and rebounds per game (8.4 for Mobley vs 7.7 for Barnes), Scottie has helped Toronto claw within one game of Cleveland in the standings.
Cunningham is leading all rookies in scoring, and his dominant second-half charge has shown that he will be a star in Detroit for a very long time. However, because the Pistons are still in the running for the worst record in the league, those numbers aren’t as impactful as what Barnes is doing.
Barnes set new career-best marks with 31 points and 17 rebounds against the Lakers on Friday night. With the advantage over Mobley in assists, steals, and true shooting percentage, it’s not as difficult to make a case for Barnes as the ROY as the books in Vegas seem to assume it is.
Career best…4 now @ScottBarnes561 pic.twitter.com/L1ZZTWVBpo
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) March 19, 2022
If Scottie Barnes keeps playing at a level that even approximated his currently torrid run of form when OG Anunoby returns to the lineup, he should continue to create even more evidence that proves he should be the Rookie of the Year. Even if you have Mobley in front, Vegas acting like Barnes is not a threat is completely nonsensical.