FSU basketball: Scottie Barnes receives multiple ACC honors

Scottie Barnes has completed the regular season of his freshman campaign with FSU basketball.

The former five-star player came into Tallahassee with a lot of hype and helped the Noles finish second in the ACC Conference.

Barnes was a forward in high school but ran the point guard position for Leonard Hamilton and the Noles. I’m not sure if he lived up to FSU fan’s lofty expectations, but he had an impactful freshman season.

Barnes was rewarded for his play Monday morning with the ACC awarding him several accolades:

He was a preseason favorite to capture all of the freshman accolades and lived up to that hype. I think they should keep the ACC Sixth Man of the Year award in Tallahassee as a Noles seem to win it every year. Patrick Williams and Mfiondu Kabengele won it the last two years.

Barnes averaged 10.4 points per game, 4.3 rebounds and assists, and 1.5 steals on the season. He has also come through in the clutch with huge baskets against Indiana and Wake Forest. The biggest flaw in his game is free-throw shooting, where he connected 56 percent of the time.

He’s been fairly consistent throughout the season while averaging 24 minutes per game and seven starts.

He’ll be an important player for the Noles in the ACC and NCAA Tournaments. Aside from his ability to cause problems on offense of opposing teams, he’s a willing defender that can defend multiple positions.

He’s a projected lottery pick, but could probably stand to come back to FSU basketball for another season to improve his stock as his game matures. I have no idea if that will happen, and it’s hard to turn down guaranteed money, but if that happens, the Noles could be scary again in 2021-22.

Scottie Barnes would be the sixth first-round draft pick from FSU basketball since 2016.