Toronto’s Scottie Barnes Now The Favorite To Win NBA ROTY

• Scottie Barnes now has +200 odds and is the favorite to win NBA Rookie of the Year.
• Cade Cunningham has the second shortest odds at +250.
• Barnes is averaging 14.6 PPG on 48% shooting from the field while Cade is averaging 14.1 PPG on 35% shooting.

TORONTO – The NBA Rookie of the Year (ROTY) race is heating up at online sportsbooks as Scottie Barnes of the Toronto Raptors has the shortest odds to win.

Number one pick Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons initially had the second shortest odds to win but has now been overtaken by Barnes.

Evan Mobley of the Cleveland Cavaliers was briefly viewed as the favorite at legal sports betting sites, but the performances of Cunningham and Barnes in recent games have shifted the odds.

Scottie Barnes Shocks The League

Barnes opened the season with (+1250) odds to win ROTY and was not on many betting fans’ radar, this changed early with his tenacious play on defense alongside his strong and efficient scoring output.

Barnes is averaging 14.6 PPG, 8.4 RPG, and 3.3 APG on 48% shooting from the field. Barnes has already posted three double-double games this season and has surprised everyone with how strong he has been defensively, boasting 9 blocks and 17 steals on the season.

Comparing Barnes’s stats to Cunningham, it’s understandable why the Raptors rookie is the new favorite. While Cunningham has been solid for a rookie, averaging 14.1 PPG, 6.4 RBG, and 4.6 APG, he has been shooting 35% from the field and has so far been a defensive liability.

Cade does have some things going for him Over Barnes. For starters, Cade has posted a triple-double, becoming the youngest player in franchise history to do so.

Cade has also been better recently. In Barnes’s last 10 games his scoring output has dropped to just 11.9 PPG on 41.3% shooting from the field. Barnes struggled big against the Golden State Warriors posting 10 points on 3-11 shooting in a loss. The game prior Barnes finished with just 2 points on 1-8 shooting against the Sacramento Kings.

Cunningham on the other hand has seen his play improve. While he is still shooting just 36.1% from the field in the last 10, he has averaged 15.3 PPG in that same stretch and has seen a bump in his three-point shooting, up from 25.3% to 26.9%.

Barnes’s slump has been noticed by fans and the media, as head coach Nick Nurse came to his defense following his performance against the Warriors.

Those who are looking to take Cade for ROTY may want to just on the NBA odds now before they shorten if Barnes continues to slip. On the other hand, Barnes could bounce back and reclaim the ROTY award by the season’s end.

News tags: basketball | Cade Cunningham | Detroit Pistons | Evan Mobley | NBA | Rookie Of The Year | ROTY | Scottie Barnes | Toronto | Toronto Raptors