OKC Thunder: Josh Giddey throws his hat in ROY race

No. 1 – Scottie Barnes – Toronto Raptors

Throughout last season each time a mock draft came out invariably, there was a top-five cited as being head and shoulders above the rest.

As the draft drew closer Jonathan Kuminga fell off the list and with the quartet of Cade Cunningham, Jalen Green, Evan Mobley, and Jalen Suggs all considered to have the potential to be franchise generational talents.

When Scottie Barnes name began to emerge as another option he was tied to either the OKC Thunder or the Toronto Raptors but most analysts still maintained the above quartet were the big prizes in the draft.

So, when Toronto selected him there were gasps and disbelief that a franchise that was likely to lose Kyle Lowry would pass on Suggs. Hindsight is 20 -20, but it makes absolute sense now given the type the identity of the Raptors and how Barnes fits into that mold.

The positives on Barnes were his defense, passing ability, motor. and character. The negatives cited his inability to shoot and not just from the perimeter but in general.

If there was any doubt the prospects read the mock drafts Barnes perhaps gives us reason to believe they do. Case in point, he leads rookies in scoring (18.1 points) and is doing it at an efficient clip (55.1%).

What stands out with the youngster is how easily he seems to score (even the tough shots) and his ability to read the game. For a player who pundits worried could score at all watching him break down defenses coverages to easily generate a basket is impressive.

Check out the above video and watch how he operates more like a guard than a forward as he reads the defense and makes his offensive decisions. His passing hasn’t fully translated yet but having witnessed him bringing the ball up full court and then whipping a left-handed no-look pass to a wide-open teammate – believe me, it’s there. That said, he still needs to work on his ball-handling.

He’s also rebounding well (8.9) — leading the Raptors in that category while he’s second in scoring on the team and third in assists.

And that doesn’t even touch on his defense. Like Mobley, he finds himself on the leaderboard for many of the hustle stats. Nick Nurse has had him defend Jayson Tatum, Luka Doncic, and essentially the best player (regardless of guard or big) on every team they’ve faced.

It will be interesting to see how his role shifts when Pascal Siakam returns (expected in approximately two weeks) but it’s likely he remains in the starting lineup giving a Nurse an even more impressive defensive unit than they already have.