Week 12 NBA Rookie Ladder: 4. Scottie Barnes
14.7 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.0 steals
Shooting splits: .482/.324/.714
From a statistical perspective, Scottie Barnes has hit something of a rookie wall. Since returning from health and safety protocols, Barnes is averaging just 9.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 4.0 assists.
Even worse is his efficiency – he is shooting 39.1 percent from the field and 20.0 percent from distance. This has coincided with a winning streak for the Toronto Raptors that has them firmly in the mix for the playoffs, so there is no issue at the moment.
Barnes remains a winning player while his numbers dip. Unfortunately, the competition is starting to figure things out.
Week 12 NBA Rookie Ladder: 3. Cade Cunningham
15.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.3 steals
Shooting splits: .381/.310/.836
Even without the Monday night game that fell outside of the grading period for this week, Cade Cunningham was on the rise. Simply put, he has come back from protocols better than Barnes, and the gap was close enough before they left the court for Cunningham to bypass him for the time being.
Over the last four games, the number one overall pick is averaging 14.8 points, 6.3 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game. He has his best outing against the defending world champions, dropping 19 points and seven rebounds, en route to the Detroit Pistons’ first win against the Milwaukee Bucks in 16 games.