Cleveland Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley missed out on the Rookie of the Year award this season, with Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes taking home the honor.
Raptors fan and Toronto native Drake recently chimed in on Barnes’ win.
It was a disappointing result for numerous Cavs fans. Folks in Cleveland were certainly pulling for Mobley to become the first Cavs player to be named Rookie of the Year since Kyrie Irving won the award in the 2011-12 season.
Mobley had an outstanding rookie season. He averaged 15.0 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per contest, starting in all 69 regular season games he appeared in. Mobley proved to be a valuable piece of the Cavs’ rotation, as he helped the team almost reach the playoffs.
However, the voting panel for the award deemed Barnes as the better first-year player. The young forward posted averages of 15.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per match in the 2021-22 regular season. He also succeeded in achieving what Mobley failed to do — make it to the playoffs.
Apparently, it was quite a tight race. Barnes edged Mobley for the award by just 15 points.
The 15-point difference between the NBA Rookie of the Year winner (Scottie Barnes) and the second-place finisher (Evan Mobley) is the smallest margin since the current voting format began 19 years ago.
More ➡️ https://t.co/dC7zbvLY5q
Full voting results ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/LWhlYARDcX
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) April 23, 2022
Even though he did not win the coveted prize, Mobley is likely looking forward to helping the Cavs contend for a playoff spot next season. They narrowly missed out on a playoff berth this year after getting eliminated in the play-in tournament.
The Cavs looked like a lock for the playoffs earlier in the season. Unfortunately, they were hit hard by injuries, resulting in a slide in the standings. They finished the regular season with a 44-38 record.
