Precious Achiuwa knows Scottie Barnes is true Rookie of the Year

The Toronto Raptors‘ main goal is chasing the highest possible playoff seed they can earn, but they are also prioritizing the development of rookie sensation Scottie Barnes. The Florida State product is considered one of the three Rookie of the Year frontrunners alongside Detroit’s Cade Cunningham and Cleveland’s Evan Mobley.

Barnes has been given an increased role in the second half due to injuries surrounding Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby. Considering that Barnes tied his career-high in points and later broke that mark, it seems like he’s responding well to the increased offensive workload.

While he is duking it out with a fellow Top 5 pick in Mobley and a former Montverde teammate in Cunningham, Barnes’ combination of statistical prowess and contribution to winning basketball might be enough to seal the deal. According to teammate Precious Achiuwa, Barnes has Rookie of the Year locked up.

Achiuwa said that Barnes is clearly the Rookie of the Year, asserting that he doesn’t “think that’s a question” at this point. While the Vegas oddsmakers and the league keeps trying to push the Mobley propaganda on the rest of their fanbase, the numbers make a fairly convincing case for Barnes as the league’s best.

Toronto Raptors stud Scottie Barnes should be the Rookie of the Year.

While Cunningham is putting up some insane offensive numbers, the fact that Detroit has such a poor record means that this will likely come down to either Mobley or Barnes taking home the top prize. Though the teams have nearly identical records, Barnes has Mobley beat in some key categories.

Barnes has the edge in points per game (15.4 vs 15.2), assists per game (3.4 vs 2.6), and steals per game (1.1 vs 0.8). While he’s slightly behind in rebounds, Barnes’ quick ascension from toolsy prospect to reliable late-game scorer should make the rest of the NBA aware of what he’s done.

In a loss against the Lakers, Barnes became the first rookie in over a decade to record at least 30 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in a game. Keep in mind, Barnes was not expected to even start during his rookie year when the selection came in, much less be an impactful offensive contributor. 

Barnes and Mobley are both having tremendous seasons for teams that are blowing away preseason expectations. While this race is going to come down to the wire, Achiuwa and the rest of his Raptors teammates are convinced that Barnes is the deserving winner.