Odds Narrowing as Scottie Barnes Closes the Gap on Evan Mobley For Rookie of the Year Honors

Toronto Raptors rookie Scottie Barnes has narrowed Evan Mobley's lead for Rookie of the Year honors

Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

Evan Mobley may be in pole position for the NBA's Rookie of the Year award, but Scottie Barnes is certainly giving him a run for his money.

The gap between the two historic rookies is narrowing with Barnes jumping Detroit's Cade Cunningham for the second best Rookie of the Year odds, according to Sports Betting Dime. Mobley still remains the heavy favorite at -600, but the Toronto Raptors rookie has improved from +1000 to +525 over the past few weeks and should be climbing even closer following a 31-point, 17-rebound performance Friday night against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Scottie Barnes is now second behind Evan Mobley for the second best odds to win the Rookie of the Year

Statistically, the two are neck and neck. Barnes has a slight edge as an offensive playmaker and scorer, while Mobley has been a defensive star on one of the league's most surprising teams this season.

Name	PPG	APG	RPG	TS%	Net Rating	Team Record
Scottie Barnes	15.5	3.4	7.7	55.4%	+1.3	39-31
Evan Mobley	15.3	2.5	8.3	55.0%	+1.9	40-30

The race may come down to how the standings in the Eastern Conference shake out. The Raptors sit one game back of the Cavaliers for the sixth seed in the East with a pivotal game in Toronto rapidly approaching. If Barnes can lead Toronto past Cleveland, it could very well flip the table and make Barnes just the third player in Raptors history to earn the honors.

Further Reading

LeBron James recalls 1st time seeing Scottie Barnes play in Grade 7

LeBron James too much for Raptors, snapping Toronto's winning streak in overtime thriller

Nick Nurse reflects on Precious Achiuwa telling him he can 'shut down' any team's best player