Hello NBA Basketball Fans,
This year’s Rookie class may go down in history as one of the strongest of all-time. At the top of the class are Scottie Barnes (Toronto Raptors), Evan Mobley (Cleveland Cavaliers) and Cade Cunningham (Detroit Pistons). With 8 games remaining in the regular season the battle for the Rookie Of The Year Award is getting closer and closer. When you look at the simple box score stats you can make a compelling story for any one of these three to win the ROTY Award.
Evan Mobley is a great front court player and will become an amazing power forward/center for years to come. His defense is special, he is a great rim protector and does most of his scoring in the paint and restricted area. He is a great team defender and has formed chemistry with his fellow big man Jarrett Allen and teammate Isaac Okoro on the defensive side of the ball, while benefitting from amazing lobs and passes from his point guard Darius Garland. Mobley has contributed to his teams’ success and wins this year, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
Cade Cunningham has rebounded after an early season injury and slow start and has begun to really put up some big stats the last quarter of the season. As the #1 pick there has been high hopes for him to perform. Cade is the main man on campus with the Pistons and acts as the quarter back for his team by having the ball is his hands most of the time and by far has the highest usage rate of any of these Rookies. It is to no surprise that he leads in points for this Rookie class. Cade has performed well offensively however his efficiency is not as effective as Mobley and Barnes. Plus, he turns over the ball at a high rate. Wins do not normally play into the ROTY selection criteria, but the reality is Cade is putting up his numbers for one of the worst teams in the league while Mobley team is in the play-ins and Barnes team is currently in the playoffs.
Scottie Barnes is an advance metric darling. While he is right there in comparison in the regular box score stats of points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. When you dive into the advance metrics you will begin to see his separation in more clarity. He has a higher offensive/defensive/net rating. He has a better true shooting % and a better assist to turnover rate. He achieves all this while scoring more on his own merit with less of his buckets assisted in comparison to the other two and putting up comparable box score numbers with a much lower usage rate, especially when measured against Cade. SB4 is on the team with the most wins and his overall game and versatility is much further along than the other two players.
However, the trump card in my opinion that separates Scottie Barnes from Cade Cunningham and Evan Mobley is his ability on both offence and defense to play all five positions on the court. This uncanny ability has armed his Coach Nick Nurse Aka The Mad Scientist the ability to scheme up all kinds of offensive and defensive sets to make other coaches and teams go mad. With all the injuries that the Raptors have faced this year, coupled with the team’s lack of depth. SB4 has been a blessing to a team that did not make the playoffs last year, to one that can surprise any team going into this year’s post season.
In my humble opinion Scottie Barnes should be this year’s NBA Rookie of the year!
For a full breakdown of all the Rookies and their stats click here and formulate your own opinion.
Who do you have winning the ROTY Award. Please comment below.
