Toronto Raptors power forward Scottie Barnes of West Palm Beach, Florida has been named the 2022 National Basketball Association rookie of the year according to City News Toronto on Saturday. Barnes is the third Raptors player to receive the honour following point guard Damon Stoudamire of Portland, Oregon (1995-96), and swingman Vince Carter of Dayton Beach, Florida (1998-99).
In 2021-22, Barnes averaged 15.3 points per game, 7.5 rebounds per game, 3.5 assists per game. He also had a field goal percentage of .492, three-point percentage of .301, and a free throw percentage of .735. Barnes’s best game came on March 18, in a 128-123 Raptors loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. He had a season high in points (31) and rebounds (17).
Barnes was the Raptors’ first round pick, fourth overall in the 2021 NBA draft. He played his college basketball with Florida State.
Barnes was the only Raptors player or member of the organization nominated for a NBA award this season. Head coach Nick Nurse deserved a chance to win his second NBA coach of the year, after winning the award in 2020. The Raptors overachieved in the regular season by finishing in fifth place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 48 wins and 34 losses.
The NBA Rookie of the Year Award was the second NBA award presented since the end of the regular season. Marcus Smart of the Boston Celtics was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year. The other two nominees for rookie of the year were Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons (the first overall pick) and Evan Mobley of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
